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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.

125 of 126 found the following review helpful:

The Fickle Finger of Fate goes to RhinoJun 26, 2003
By Ron Wise
The contents of this package rates five stars, but what drags it down to three is that Rhino created a fancy package and short-changed the public on the amount of episodes they put in the package. I mean SIX episodes in a three-DVD set for [that amount]? Come on Rhino! You could easily have put 12 episodes in this set. After all, there were 144 episodes of Laugh-In. At 12 episodes a set, it would takes years to release them all on DVD. Now it's going to take twice as long.
Aside from all that, the episodes are great and the picture and sound are crisp and clear. The interviews aren't bad either.
So Rhino, enjoy your Fickle Finger of Fate. I'll be thinking twice before I shell out {good money]for six more episodes of Laugh-In.

59 of 60 found the following review helpful:

What we have here is NOT MUCHSep 03, 2006
By Bennet Pomerantz "Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD"
In the late 1960's, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was an entertainment of sight gags, skits and one liners. It was Vaudville, Burlesque and low brow humor combined in an hour of TV


This DVD of six episodes fully takes in what the show had to offer. You could call this DVD A taste of Laugh-In. It captures in a nutshell what Laugh-in was.

You will note, in the late 80's, NBC (the same network that Laugh-In was on) came up with Saturday Night Live. It took up Laugh-In mantle without the joke wall or the quick SOCK IT TO ME!

However, This small piece of the show on DVD isnt much, we need more! I rate it low, because it feels so incomplete...and for what it worth, it better to have NOTHING than a small taste of greatness

I would rather have a full season of Laugh-in. Since Rhino isnt making many DVDs lately...someone should!


Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD

27 of 27 found the following review helpful:

great but WAY too short--why didn't they release it all ???May 05, 2008
By Matthew G. Sherwin
The Best of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968) is very good--but only as far as it goes. This three DVD set wastes space on the discs; we only get a few episodes and even then I strongly suspect that one or two of these episodes were trimmed down a little. The picture quality is excellent, admittedly; and the sound is good. We get three bonus interviews (one on each of the three DVDs) with Gary Owns, Ruth Buzzi and Arte Johnson.

The jokes are very funny; Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In took huge risks for its time to make audiences howl with laughter. I remember it was a big deal if we children were allowed to watch it! These episodes give us the famous Lily Tomlin act as Ernestine the telephone operator, the swinger's party were jokes with many innuendos were told ostensibly off the cuff; and the dialogue between Rowan and Martin themselves is very well written and performed.

There are several celebrity sightings on these DVDs; I liked Tiny Tim despite the fact that his act was rather bizarre; and the episode on DVD number three includes the full show that guest starred Jack Benny. Jack Benny fits in perfectly on this show; he tells jokes and gets set-up by the regular cast of Laugh-In with hilarious results.

The regular cast never fails to pitch out those jokes that even today have some very funny punch lines. Look for Goldie Hawn, Alan Sues, Judy Carne, Jo Anne Worley and Lily Tomlin (among others) to make the shows here on DVD very entertaining and funny.

Unfortunately, my main gripe (and it's a big one) is that there's just not enough here. Where are all the other shows from the first two seasons? Why do we get only four or five episodes at the most here? This is very disappointing and I will take off two stars for this flaw to make this a three star review.

Overall, Laugh-In was hilarious. This three DVD set proves it. Unfortunately, what we get is so good it can frustrate me--and others--that we didn't get so much more from the first season or two. Hopefully Rhino will eventually see the light and produce a proper retrospective of this fine series complete on DVD. This is even too short to be called a "best of" Laugh-In DVD set. Sigh.


113 of 128 found the following review helpful:

When will they put this series out on DVD?Jul 01, 2003
By Bruce Bender
For six years, I watched Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In on Monday nights. I enjoyed it because it was funny, with catchphrases like "Sock it to me," "You bet your sweet bippy," and "Here comes da judge" performed by an ensemble cast of comedians including Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, Ruth Buzzi and Arte Johnson. I haven't seen this show for several years, so I bought this DVD as soon as I saw it. This DVD has two episodes from each of the first three seasons and they're just as funny today as they were when they first came out. They even have the show in which Richard Nixon asked "Sock it to ME?" I'm hoping that Rhino puts every season out on DVD in box sets so that those of us who watched it can enjoy it again and those of us who never saw it can watch it and enjoy it. This DVD set has a delightful bonus - the three discs in the set has interviews with Gary Owens, Ruth Buzzi and Arte Johnson, respectively, where they discuss how they were hired for the show and discuss how they worked on the show. Creator and producer George Schlatter also explains the genesis of the show and says that there might be a Laugh-In 2004 and there is a pictoral recration of the joke wall with pictures of the regulars saying the lines they made famous. It's well worth the price and is a look back at a piece of television and comedic history. Buy it.

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