Mini-DVD Review: The Best of The Flip Wilson Show (Feb. 27)

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Mini-DVD Review: The Best of The Flip Wilson Show (Feb. 27)

Welcome to another edition of mini-DVD reviews! Today we take a look at Rhino's The Best of The Flip Wilson Show. The Flip Wilson Show of course was the popular '70s variety show that was both funny and entertaining. There were tons of guests and music, but the comedy was the main draw. See skees53's mini-DVD review of The Best of The Flip Wilson Show:

The Best of The Flip Wilson Show (Rhino, $49.98) contains 6 full episodes of Flip Wilson's variety show from the 1970s along with plenty of bonus features to go along with it. These aren't those lame 22 minute excuses of an episode that you'll see running on TV Land every once in a while, but instead the whole 50 minute episodes as they originally aired (though one runs at 44 minutes, leading me to think this one COULD be a syndicated version, but I have nothing to support that claim), complete with all of the skits and the music in every episode as originally intended. On Disc 1, we get to see a 1972 episode with George Carlin reciting his "Hair Poem" (don't worry, there is much more excitement than this in the episode) and another 1972 episode featuring legendary musician Johnny Cash as well as June Carter Cash. On Disc 2, we have a 1973 episode featuring Ray Charles (he actually performs on the episode as shown on DVD!) and Phyllis Diller (the episode even has an introduction by Diller, who looks much better these days than she did back in the 1970s!) as well as a 1973 episode featuring Redd Foxx, Helen Reddy, and Joan Rivers. Finally, on Disc 3, we have a 1973 episode featuring Richard Pryor and Tim Conway (with an episode introduction by Tim Conway), as well as a 1974 episode with Tony Randall and Lena Horne.
One of the best parts of the set is the special features, and there are plenty of them to go around. on Disc 1, you'll find an interview with Bob Henry, producer of the show, as well as a very weird cartoon special, "Clerow Wilson and the Miracle of P.S. 14." On Disc 2, you'll find another of the animated special featuring Flip's Clerow Wilson character, "Clerow Wilson's Great Escape" as well as a Photo Gallery that has many snapshots from episodes, including one of Geraldine with Muhammad Ali (that would have been a good episode to include on this set but I guess just because the "greatest" is in the episode doesn't make the episode the greatest). Disc 3 has a bonus feature that sounds promising but is really a letdown--a special feature called "Flip Wilson: Portrait of an Artist." This isn't much more than just an all text biography that you have to read yourself. Oh well. To be honest, the price is a bit steep for just six episodes, but considering the quality of the episodes and the special features, you may be pick this one up... the devil will make you do it.
-- Reviewed by skees53

(4.5/5 stars)

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Ghosts - "Sad Farnsby" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
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Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 19)

Thursday, May 22

Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Catch Miley on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Chloe Fineman (Big Mouth/Search Party) - Chloe appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm. Featured host Vlad Duthiers sits down with Ronny on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Elizabeth Banks (30 Rock/Scrubs) and Amanda Peet (Brockmire/Togetherness/Bent) - Elizabeth and Amanda are guests on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10:15pm on Bravo.
Cynthia Nixon (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Cynthia talks about ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Hugh Jackman (Human Resources) - Hugh chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Bill Bellamy (Mr. Box Office/Men, Women & Dogs/Cousin Skeeter) - Bill brings the laughs to the third annual cookout on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Finola Hughes (Blossom) - Finola dishes on General Hospital on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Jason Schwartzman (Blunt Talk/Mozart in the Jungle/Bored to Death) - Jason talks about Mountainhead on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Sterling K. Brown (Starved) - Sterling is telling Drew all about playing a secret service agent in the thrilling new show Paradise on a repaet of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Midori Francis (The Sex Lives of College Girls) - Midori is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.