Rating: 
Summary: Great show now on DVD!!!
Review: The only flaw to this set is that it needed 4 episodes per disc instead of 2. The interviews are boring. But the original show is NOT. In the liner notes and on the booklet that comes with it it says that they will be releasing more volumes in the future. Let's hope! This is a great start though. Keep it comin' Rhino!
Rating:
Summary: Timeless Humor
Review: These days while the US is at war, the daily news is full of depressing stories and young people are feeling a bit alienated, what a relief it is to see this TV series which was born in times just like these. In the late 60's and early 70's when we were in Viet Nam, all of America was longing for a diversion from the depressing news. LAUGH-IN was the answer, and today as I watched Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson, Ruth Buzzi, Lily Tomlin, Dick Martin and Dan Rowan, with guests Sammy Davis, Jr. and John Wayne - - - I was taken back to a better place in time, and for a while all I did was laugh and laugh. Some call it a TV show, I call it medicine for what ails ya.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent but......
Review: They could have squeezed a bit more onto each DVD. Only 6 episodes in a 3 DVD set? I have The Monkess Season One set and with 6 DVD's they fit 32! I know that these shows are longer but really not by much sans the commercials. All in all though I am thrilled to have these finally "uncut" on DVD! I don't have the "Trio" network, which airs them so, this was a relief!
Dan & Dick are probally the best "funny/straight man" duo of all time. I hope Volume 2 is packed more!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Get Bipped.
Review: This is another example of a company- in this case Rhin$o
trying to exploit the older gay community. Of course that's why the obvious boxsets of I Love Lucy and say stuff like The Twilight Zone are such a rip-off. BB$C are just con-artists and better avoided until they offer fair market value. Yes Laugh-In is outdated but in a way that I think is cool and works as a great period piece. The editing and camera work make it better and underneath it all the overall messages of the show are universal. But 6 episodes is just Rhin$o trying to cash in on the older gay community yet again. Think of it this way. Even if you don't mind paying $50 for 6 episodes unlike say 30 something hour long of The Outer Limits for about the same price you are still being deprived of a lot of Laugh-In Viewing. Viewing that you won't get back. Don't let Rhin$o sock it to you. Refuse to buy the set and get as many people to post Rhin$o's website. Tell them you will only buy when they give you say 35-40 episodes- complete and uneditied for $35 at Best Buy. Currently that is the fair market price. Rhin$o I will not be buying this boxset. You will never sock it to Donny!
Rating:
Summary: Don't Get Bipped.
Review: This is another example of a company- in this case Rhin$o
trying to exploit the older gay community. Of course that's why the obvious boxsets of I Love Lucy and say stuff like The Twilight Zone are such a rip-off. BB$C are just con-artists and better avoided until they offer fair market value. Yes Laugh-In is outdated but in a way that I think is cool and works as a great period piece. The editing and camera work make it better and underneath it all the overall messages of the show are universal. But 6 episodes is just Rhin$o trying to cash in on the older gay community yet again. Think of it this way. Even if you don't mind paying $50 for 6 episodes unlike say 30 something hour long of The Outer Limits for about the same price you are still being deprived of a lot of Laugh-In Viewing. Viewing that you won't get back. Don't let Rhin$o sock it to you. Refuse to buy the set and get as many people to post Rhin$o's website. Tell them you will only buy when they give you say 35-40 episodes- complete and uneditied for $35 at Best Buy. Currently that is the fair market price. Rhin$o I will not be buying this boxset. You will never sock it to Donny!
Rating:
Summary: The perfect item for a time capsule or your DVD collection!
Review: Though the 1960s saw some of the greatest tragedies in modern history (assassinations of people who would have made our society better than it is now, and - of course - Vietnam), the 1960s made up for it in pop culture, style, and fashion. The 1960s were a very creative period indeed, and Laugh-In is a great example of this era. Never before had viewers tuned into anything so faced-paced, witty, wacky, irreverent, and topical. And they loved it as the show soon received high ratings and won several emmy awards. Which was good because, at the time, the Emmy was worth something. Some 35 years later, this review is coming from a person who was born a few months before the traitorous Watergate scandal took place. As a kid, my mom would always quote from this show and, at the time, I didn't get it. Of course, I get it now, and it just shows what impact this series had because mom rarely watches television! But I digress. Those who remember the show know the gags. The questions are, is this DVD release worth the money and will new audiences enjoy it? Let's start with the quality of the disc: The sound quality is quite good. There's no much in the way of hiss, and the sound definitely sounds like it's been digitally enhanced. No complaints here. The video quality is remarkable considering it was taped in 1968. They obviously did some restoration work, and colors are vibrant and blacks are reasonably black. There are some video lines typical of videotaped programs, but there's nothing worth complaining about. I've seen far worse. All in all, Rhino did a great job of restoring these episodes. However, there is a negative point or two: There are only 2 episodes per disc, in a 3 disc collection. For anything more than $35, this is an insult. Whole television programs are being released, by season, for less money. The phenomenal "All in the Family" is a prime example of this. To make up for this, they included interviews of some cast members. While I enjoyed these interviews immensely, they could easily have added an extra 2 episodes per disc and still have room for the interviews. Also, these episodes seem to tally at around 49 minutes each. In 1968, TV episodes ran for 50-51 minutes. I've noticed some very weird editing in spots (and it's quite obvious as the scene jumps to another and then another within a second's period of time), making me wonder if a modern censor cut out what he decided was "offensive". Sigh. I hate censorship. Why not let the viewer decide? And, honestly, how could something be more offensive today when it was able to survive the stern NBC censors of 1968?! Now for the episodes and humor potential: For people who initially saw and liked the series, they will undoubtedly enjoy every episode on this disc set as it will revive old, wonderful memories. For people watching this show for the first time, I strongly recommend you watch the season 2 episodes (09/68 - 04/69) first, particularly the Barbara Feldon episode (the season 2 opener). The season 2 episodes have the most polished feel and are also the funniest. They're the most appealing. Season 1 has most of the right elements, but it just doesn't seem to gel. And while season 3 is generally good, I had gotten used to the season 2 cast and format rather quickly so the show acquired a new, unfamiliar, feel. And the Farkel family is a little too weird, though I'll give them credit for managing to say all of those lines without cracking up or flubbing their lines... However, season 3's biggest saving grace is the wonderfulness of Lily Tomlin. While some of the series' humor holds up very well, some of it has unfortunately lost its effect because of its topical nature (But on the plus side, we wouldn't want the Vietnam war continuing today, we've got enough useless wars going on as it is). But some other jokes were just plain bad to begin with; with one very notable skit from season one featuring Joey Bishop and the Laugh-In girls... But then consider other comedy skit shows, Laugh-In is not unique when it comes to being a mixed-bag of humor. Some of the early "Saturday Night Live" episodes have aged badly as well, and if you think the recent episodes are completely rubbish now, just wait another 9 years... As a whole, Laugh-In holds up, especially if you dig 60s culture. Two things I were hoping for was the News of the Future segments where Dan Rowan talked about the fall of the Berlin Wall (though an alligator-filled moat was put in its place) and, *gasp*, President Ronald Reagan. Those bits alone would make for valid entries in a "best of" collection given that they were more-or-less accurate! Was the remainder of their respective episodes not so great? (but I shouldn't criticize, the included episodes are quite good.) No episodes from the 4th or 5th seasons are on this set. Did they simply want to stick with just 2 episodes from the first three seasons, or is there something about the final two seasons which they want to keep locked up? And why, for discs 2 and 3, did they mix season 2 and 3 episodes together when disc 1 concentrated solely on season 1 episodes? I wish they'd release box sets of entire seasons. I'm anxious to see all of season 2 and eventually seasons 1 and 3. Though season 1 was the weakest, they still had some terrific jokes. But until then, this is what we get. I am pleased with my purchase and I am eager to see more. Now they need to deliver! :-)
Rating: 
Summary: Save Your Money
Review: What a disappointment. If this is the "best" of Laugh In, then it should have never been on television to begin with.
Rating:
Summary: LAUGH-IN S T I L L RULES!!!
Review: What a joy to see these things (mostly) uncut after 30 years' time. When I was a grade-schooler growing up in the late sixties, my parents always sent me to bed a 9 p.m. Mondays, so they could watch "that dirty show." Now I can fully appreciate this show from its "heyday" period (when I was "old enough"--circa 1971--producer George Schlatter was practically pressured out). Unbelievably zany, inside-out visual humor: co-host Dick Martin said they didn't desire to do "televised radio," and made it as visually imaginitive as they possibly could, and THEN some.
Believe me, the visually boring"innovations" of Norman Lear ("All In The Family," "The Jeffersons") are a fraud in comparison to the provocative stuff that Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, George Schlatter & the gang could do every week. And what a cavalcade of great comedic talent! Do we have ANYONE today who can measure up to Jo Anne Worley, Alan Sues, Arte Johnson, and Ruth Buzzi?
Rating:
Summary: LAUGH-IN S T I L L RULES!!!
Review: What a joy to see these things (mostly) uncut after 30 years' time. When I was a grade-schooler growing up in the late sixties, my parents always sent me to bed a 9 p.m. Mondays, so they could watch "that dirty show." Now I can fully appreciate this show from its "heyday" period (when I was "old enough"--circa 1971--producer George Schlatter was practically pressured out). Unbelievably zany, inside-out visual humor: co-host Dick Martin said they didn't desire to do "televised radio," and made it as visually imaginitive as they possibly could, and THEN some.
Believe me, the visually boring"innovations" of Norman Lear ("All In The Family," "The Jeffersons") are a fraud in comparison to the provocative stuff that Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, George Schlatter & the gang could do every week. And what a cavalcade of great comedic talent! Do we have ANYONE today who can measure up to Jo Anne Worley, Alan Sues, Arte Johnson, and Ruth Buzzi?
Rating:
Summary: Just Say NO...
Review: With the current trend of issuing television series in complete seasons, and maximizing the content included on a DVD, there is absolutely no reason for consumers to accept product that gives them less than their full value for their money. There is easily enough space on a DVD for over three hours of material. Minus the commercials, it is common to have four "hour" long episodes on a single DVD. Why is it that "The Best of Laugh-In", a three DVD set, contains just a total of six episodes? This is VHS type packaging, and is comparable to how the original Star Trek TV program was offered on DVD years ago. We've come far beyond that. The price for this set is exorbitant as well. You could get the complete season of a series like MASH or All in the Family for less. The title of this set is also misleading. Rather than being a "best of" compilation, it is actually a collection of six complete episodes. Laugh-In is a great program, one that broke new ground, and was highly innovative and influential. It is certainly worthy of much better treatment. Rhino usually provides value, in whatever they issue, however this time they have clearly "socked it" to the customer. Rhino needs to understand that this type of packing is not acceptable, and is really an insult to the consumer. Just say "no" to this set, any maybe they will get the message.
| 
