Mini-DVD Review: Bob Newhart Button-Down Concert (Sept. 19)

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Mini-DVD Review: Bob Newhart Button-Down Concert (Sept. 19)

Welcome to another edition of Saturday mini-DVD reviews! Today we take a look at 20th Century Fox's Bob Newhart: Button-Down Concert. Bob Newhart shines in this live, sold-out comedy special. In this, Bob Newhart returns to his roots as a stand-up comedian, showcasing his talent and his hysterical spin on everything from current affairs to crazy bus drivers and to cheap airlines. A must have for every fan of Bob Newhart, the Bob Newhart: Button-Down Concert features an exclusive interview with Newhart as well as never-before-seen photos, which are from his personal archives. This DVD is being released to coincide with the release of the icon's autobiography "I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!: And Other Things That Strike Me as Funny." We will be reviewing this book in the near future, too! But for now, see Shawn Eaton's mini-DVD review of this set.

Bob Newhart: Button Down Concert (Fox, $19.98) brings the TV legend as a stand-up comedian. This is definitely a must have for any fan of Bob Newhart -- or even any fan of stand-up comedy! Bob Newhart truly does shine in this. His performance ranges from telephone comedy riffs, showcasing his wonderful dry humor. The cover art features pictures of Bob (most of him are holding a microphone) with different colored tints in boxes. The main menu is a nice drawing of Bob. The menu selection features a Play (All) option. Languages takes you to another screen that lets you choose between English and Spanish for subtitles. Scene Selection allows you to pick between 15 segments in the concert. Bob Newhart Unbuttoned is the selection for the interview and the last selection, Photo Gallery, is of course the photo gallery selection. The video and audio are fine; it's so recent that there shouldn't be any problems -- and there aren't! Believe it or not, there are actually two special fetures included! Aside from the main event, the concert, you can view a photo gallery, featuring photos from Bob Newhart's personal archives, as well as a featurette special, which is an interview with Newhart himself. That interview runs around 21 minutes and in it he discusses the concert. So on that note, September 19, I urge you all to go out, and buy this, along with The Bob Newhart Show Season 4 DVD release (full DVD review coming soon from me) as well as purchasing his autobiography (which I will have a mini-review hopefully by next Saturday). Mr. Newhart is a true classic and fans will cherish this as part of their collection.
-- Reviewed by Shawn Eaton