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Best of Jack Benny 
Actors : Jack Benny, Don Wilson, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Dennis Day, Mary Livingston
Studio : Mill Creek Entertainment
by Mill Creek Entertainment
Brand : DIGITAL1STOP
Release Date : 2007-09-25
Publisher : Mill Creek Entertainment
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 4
EAN : 0683904505927
UPC : 683904505927
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 16 reviews)
List Price : $14.98
Our Price : $7.44
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Product Description |
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Studio: Digital1stop Release Date: 09/25/2007 Rating: Nr |
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Fun but of bootleg Quality |
The first set of discs arrived and all but one was damaged due to poor handling on the part of the manufacturer. (No fault placed on Marketadvisory.)
Marketadvisory, as usual, was quick to replace the faulty discs. If you purchase this collection you should check each disc for deep surface scratched as soon as they arrive.
The programs were fun to watch on my PC or after I transferred them to my Ipod but forget about viewing most of these shows on a regular TV. The compression used on most of these programs is so great that the images are blurred and pixilated. (Yes, I understand what the original source material is... filmed Tube... but what I'm talking about here is extreme digital compression.) I have no idea what the original source material looks like but on episodes like "The Honeymooners" the pixels, at times, were the size of postage stamps on a regular TV... the original source HAD to be better than this. I was left wondering if the producer of this collection found some of these programs on the internet as small streaming Quicktime movies and then converted them to Standard TV format, because THAT's how bad the quality is but why it looks decent on my ipod.
But, despite the poor "bootleg-like" quality, these programs were fun to watch, and even just listen to, on the PC or Ipod and worth the low price.
Just don't expect a collection of clean transfers. |
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The Inimitable Jack Benny |
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Jack Benny is an original. No one could milk a laugh like him. Though he was big on radio, it was television that allowed viewers to see him cross his arms, look off to the side, and extend the laughter to a sight gag or a wisecrack made by his repertory company -- Rochester, Dennis Day, Don Wilson, and Mary Livingston. It's fun to see these old TV shows, even though the quality isn't up to DVD standards. No matter. The content is just great, showcasing Benny's cheapskate persona beautifully. |
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Golden memories |
Jack Benny & friends at their Best. What else is
there to say. A very funny trip down memory lane. |
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Jack Benny is appealing as always |
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I was/am a fan of Jack Benny. But I didn't find these shows as compelling as I anticipated. Humor back then was much more casual than today; it was interesting to see the various guest stars, but the skits lack the boffo laughs I was expecting. It's a pleasant trip down memory lane, but not much more than that...I smiled and chuckled occasionally, but don't expect humor on the scale of "Cheers", "Will & Grace", etc. |
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Excellent Selection of the Best Comedy Show of the 1950's |
There were funnier shows in the 1950's, "Abbott and Costello," "I Love Lucy" (from 1952-1955), "Milton Berle," "Honeymooners" and "I Married Joan," but these only lasted, or were funny, for two or three years, "The Jack Benny Show" lasted amazingly from 1950 till 1965. From this collection, a good selection from many of these years, it is clear that the Jack Benny show was consistently funny for all those years.
This is the best collection on the market. Even the ones that are no longer very funny (about 1/4 of the episodes) are fascinating to watch for what they tell us about the times.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the show today is the relationship between Eddie Anderson (Rochester) and Jack Benny. There is a genuine affection between the two performers that made for a silent but clear anti-racist message for the time.
One should be warned that there are a lot of Luck Strike commercials included (about 20). They are incredibly effective and even today can have you wanting to run out and buy a pack for the "great taste."
Hopefully, someone will put out a complete year by year collection some day. Until then, this collection is the best we have. |
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