'Alice' Season 2: Endorsed by Former Phoenix Resident

The DVD set of the second season of the classic '70s sitcom "Alice" solidifies my genuine desire to kiss the ring of the Warner Brothers executive who spearheaded releasing 1,000s of great television and film titles collecting dust in the Warner vaults. Aside from review copies, I have purchased numerous classic films and beloved '70s Hanna-Barbera cartoons from this wide-ranging collection.

"Alice" S2 is the latest example of terrific Warner Archives borrowing a page from the equally great Shout Factory's playbook. This helps revive a previously abandoned great show, and Archives seems to be releasing a new season every few months. I hope to be enjoying the third season set in February.

Archives was also Shoutesque in including two fourth season episodes that were intended for the second season. More "Alice" is always good, and seeing the later version of the opening credits was a treat.

Before fully expressing my thoughts on what may be the best season of this CBS staple, I want to share the reaction of a friend who visited over the weekend. 

Because my friend shares my love of classic sitcom and lived in Phoenix, which is where Alice and her fellow waitresses dished out inedible meatloaf and much better chili at Mel's, I was confident that he would enjoy watching "Alice."

I initiated watching several episodes and kept us going while working toward a particularly noteworthy offering, but my friend surpassed me in saying "one more." 

At one point, I had burned out after watching five straight episodes of "Alice" S2 on a day after we had watched several others and invited my friend to choose another show among the 1,000s in my collection. He asked to watch more "Alice," and we ended up watching two more episodes.

My friend shared that the oft-mentioned Camelback Inn is a luxury resort that at least one President Bush has frequented, that Phoenix no longer celebrated "Admission Day" in the 21st century, and that Phoenix itself has grown into the fifth largest city in the United States since "Alice" first aired. 

The classic "Alice" Christmas episode, which will find its way back into my DVD player during the holiday season, is a prime example of the series' exceptional second season that captivated my friend and myself. This clip provides a taste of the story that has the entire cast taking a road trip in an 18-wheeler so that Alice and her 13 year-old son Tommy can visit relatives in Colorado. No, the family members are not named Kenny, Stan, Kyle, or Cartman.

Humorous moments that are typical of the characters' personalities are Alice being the mom of the group by helping ensure everyone's comfort while still trying to maintain order, "dinghy" waitress Vera relentlessly reading the signs for a roadside attraction but not sharing more important information from another highway sign, and sassy tacky Texan Flo flirting on the CB, that's citizen band radio to those of you not old enough to remember the Burt Reynolds' film "Smokey and the Bandit" or the classic song about a great big convoy that is a beautiful sight heading out into the night. CONVOY!"

Meanwhile, Tommy is having a great time thinking of cavorting with his cousins in the Colorado snow. Mel's role consists of driving the truck, bantering with Flo, and telling Vera to stow it. This is not to mention his secret profit motive for the journey.

The three equally classic "guest star" episodes  were also memorable aspects of "Alice's" second season. In each case, the celebrity of the week was integrated into the plot line well and not simply there to eat at the diner and make a thinly-veiled reference to what made them a celebrity.

The episode involving veteran actor George Burns was the most unique of the three. He had just played God in the hit film "Oh God," and Vera genuinely believed that Burns was God. Burns displayed his typical grace, no pun intended, and everything worked out in the end.

An episode in which well-known Cuban philanderer Desi Arnaz played a philandering Cuban fashion photographer was very entertaining but a bit more "Three's Company" than "I Love Lucy" or "Alice." Seeing Arnaz in more of a Lucy role in being the one who has "'splainin" to do and who ends up trapped in a sofabed that spontaneously folded up was fun. As an aside, this was the second-to-last time that Arnaz ever appeared on screen.

An episode that involved Flo trying to get concert tickets to see her former baby sitting charge country music star, and "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" guest star, Jerry Reed was the most typically "Alice." Suffice it to say, mayhem ensued when Reed visited the diner.

The second season also had cameo appearances by "The Dick Van Dyke Show's" Morey "Buddy" Amersterdam and "Hogan's Heroes'" Larry "Carter" Hovis.

Consistent with my friend's comment that "Alice" held up much better than he had anticipated, the series had a nice '70s vibe without feeling unduly dated. The aforementioned use of a CB is one example. Others include an episode that had the cast engage in a (clothed) encounter group, many of the men having hairy chests and upper lips, Mel's waitresses protesting Mel paying a newly hired waiter more than they received, and a native American being referred to an Indian.

Episodes that were more "ripped from the headlines" today involved a retired mobster who was on the run from both the feds and his former associates and a rape trial that raised issues regarding how the court system and the public treated the victim.

Anyone with questions or well-intentioned comments regarding "Alice" is encouraged to email me. Anyone with something nasty to say can kiss mah grits.

"Bugs Bunny Superstar:' Bugs Bunny and Orson Welles Togetrher Again

Warner Archives has given pop culture fans an especially awesome treat in the form of the recently released DVD 1975 documentary "Bugs Bunny Superstar." This top-notch production meets the test for an exceptional documentary in that it entertains and informs. 

My only complaint is that this film firmly implanted the "overtures curtain lights" theme song from the Bugs Bunny '70s series in my head. (The documentary does not include that song and accompanying dance by the Looney Tunes character.)

Criticizing this Orson "Charles Foster Kane" Welles narrated film for the title indicating that it is all about everyone's favorite wascally wabbit would be akin to my getting upset because the Ben and Jerry's seconds that were my special treat during grad school were no good because they had too many Oreos, Heath bars or other fixins. In both cases, the flub is a bonus.

It is worth noting as well that, forgetting about the unfortunate Gallo wine commercials, Welles' well-known integrity and deep appreciation for true art likely motivated his participation in this production.

This 90 minutes of pure joy includes nine truly classic Merry Meolodies or Looney Tunes cartoons and both home movies and caricatures of the Warner Brothers animators who created Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, et al. cavorting around and generally loving life in the animation studio that they lovingly dubbed "Termite Terrace" in reference to the building's shoddy construction.

Interesting tidbits include tales of Warner Brothers stars such as Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney dropping by Termite Terrace to see the animation geniuses at work, brief glimpses into the origins of Bugs Bunny and his animated pals, and Clampett gleefully discussing the work that he and fellow animation god Tex Avery created together.

The nine cartoons ae great examples of the indescribably good Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies seven-minute wonders. Clampett points out that he and team created far more drawings for each short than animators typically drew for a 20-minute Saturday morning cartoon show. The backgrounds from some of  these are easily as good as ANY Disney film from ANY era.

"Rhapsody Rabbit" is the most noteworthy of the handful of Bugs Bunny cartoons in the group of nine. Like a few other Warner Brothers cartoons from the same period, it centers around classical music. ("Kill the wabbit; kill the wabbit" anyone.) In this case, Bugs Bunny puts his own wacky spin on performing a piano recital.

What makes this cartoon special for me is that I think that it is the only time that I have seen a tormenter make Bugs Bunny a foil. The wiseguy in this case is a mouse who lives in the piano that Bugs Bunny is playing.

The Daffy Duck/Porky Pig cartoon "My Favorite Duck" is unusual in that it is the only time that I can recall seeing said duck and pig in adversarial roles, rather than playing an Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy like team that spent most of the seven minutes getting scared out of their wits.

This offering is also one of the funniest of the entire set. I do not want to ruin it for anyone by writing more. 

An almost as rare feature of "Duck" is that it brings the already highly surreal elements of these cartoons up another notch by taking Daffy out of his animated world in much the same way as in the true Daffy Duck classic "Duck Amok" that most festivals of these cartoons include.

The bottom line is that buying "Bugs Bunny Superstar" should be a no-brainer for anyone who likes any of the classic Looney Tunes characters or simply appreciates good-quality animation. I can think of a few people who can anticipate having this set under their trees.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding Bugs Bunny or his friends is encouraged to email me. That's all folks!

'The Streets of San Francisco' S5 V1 and V2: A Quinn Martin Classic

People who know "The Streets of San Francisco" remember it as a good example of the testosterone-driven '70s cop show in which gritty police detectives or private investigators chase either equally gritty malfeasors or evil rich guys who wore three-piece suits and drove Lincoln Continentals. 

People who are unfamiliar with that series or genre may relate to it as the inspiration for the tragically short-lived Zucker Brothers', best known for the classic film comedy "Airplane," hilarious series "Police Squad" and the subsequent "Naked Gun" films.

The recent release of the two-volume DVD set of "Streets'" fifth and final season provides a chance to complete your collection of this great Quinn Martin production. Virtually everyone who watched television in the '60s or '70s at least knew of "The F.B.I.," "Barnaby Jones," and the other hour-long dramas that Martin produced.

"Police Squad" did an excellent job parodying Martin's trademark lurid episode titles and technique of breaking episodes into four or five acts and an epilogue. Episode titles from "Street's" fifth season include "The Thrill Killers," "The Cannibals," and "Chill of Anger."

Before discussing "Streets" further, it is worth mentioning that the complete series set of the '60s Quinn Martin classic "The Fugitive" was also recently released.

"The Fugitive" was a quasi-anthology show that was a slight departure for Martin in that it had the titular fugitive Dr. Richard Kimball helping those in distress while traveling around the country evading arrest and seeking proof of his innocence of the charge that he killed his wife. The final episode of "The Fugitive" truly is one of the best shows ever.

My moderate personal affection for "The Fugitive" is such that I am going to wait until it is the bargain of the day to purchase it. However, the excellent things that I know about the series and  have heard about the set suggest that it is worth buying now either if you really really like the show or want to get a fan of good drama an extra special holiday gift. (Hint to those to whom I am significant. )

Returning to "Streets," the hook was that grizzled veteran homicide detective Lt. Mike Stone was partnered with younger and more polished and educated Inspector Steve Keller for four of the five seasons. Karl Malden, best known to Gen Xers from his American Express commercials, played Stone. Michael Douglas, who requires no introduction, played Keller.

Richard Hatch from the original and new "Battlestar Gallactica" replaced Douglas in the awesome first episode of the fifth season. Douglas received a nice sendoff in that one.

The two-part season premiere, which was the aforementioned "The Thrill Killers" was a great example of what made "Streets" memorable. The fact that it had several "Love Boat's" worth of '60s and '70s television stars as guests in dramatic roles started things on the right foot.

The Reader's Digest version of the plot is that a group of radicals, including "The Partridge Family's" Susan Dey and "The Patty Duke Show's" Patty Duke Astin, kidnap the jury for the murder trial of two of the radicals' comrades.

I confess to joking to a friend that "Duke's" Patty, rather than Cathy, Lane had become a radical to impress a boy that she liked and that she finally saw more sights than a girl can see from Brooklyn Heights.

Actors who portrayed the jurors included "Eight is Enough's" Dick Van Patten and "Three's Company" Norman Fell. I laughed out loud when I saw Marion Ross, Mrs. C. from "Happy Days," play the equally sweet mother of Dey's character.

On a more serious note, most of the action in the "Streets" season premiere and the other episodes was realistic and not melodramatic. Martin truly was a master at setting the proper tone.

I was also glad to see that a loving homosexual relationship between one of the radicals and a fallen comrade was not sensationalized or otherwise disrespected. The episode additionally touched on the issue of race in an equally sensitive nature.

The show overall continued strong throughout its final season and introduced other topics worthy of water cooler discussions.

One fifth season episode involved the detectives trying to find a murder suspect before citizens who were pursuing a $1M bounty by the victim's father captured the alleged criminal. "Barney Miller's" Max Gail played the suspect. Another episode had a twenty-something dirtbag show surprisingly strong intelligence and chutzpah.

It is genuinely sad that the final episode was not one of the season's stronger offerings. A plot involving pursuit of a dog collar that had stolen diamonds was entertaining and had interesting twists and suspense but was more "Hart to Hart" than "The F.B.I."

An episode in which a kidnapping of a young heir, played by "The Hardy Boys'" Parker Stevenson, was a cover for a more sinister plot was a better episode and had a personal element that would have made it a better series finale.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Streets" is encouraged to email me.

'Perry Mason' S7 V2: Verdict is Awesome

The episodes on the recently released S7 V2 DVD of "Perry Mason were a perfect choice for the period leading up to "Frankenstorm" Hurricane Sandy and the actual storm. The sharp contrast of the well-filmed black-and-white episodes and nefarious dealing were a good match with the dark skies, strong winds, and pounding rain.

I look forward to watching more episodes during this winter's inevitable snowageddons.

"Mason" was a wonderful 1960s quasi-anthology film noir lite courtroom drama. The S7 V2 episodes were from the second half of the 1963-64 season. The good folks at CBS Video are releasing S8 V1 in a few weeks and finishing the entire series with an S8 V2 release in January 2013.

"Mason" was a procedural with one of the best procedures out there. The opening scenes typically consisted of the innocent of the week finding himself or herself in a relatively minor jam that required legal counsel. That is when Mason, accompanied by loyal secretary Della Street and stalwart private investigator Paul Drake, would usually literally and figuratively enter the picture.

The not-so-innocent of the week would then find himself or herself on a slab in the morgue, and the police would arrest the innocent who consulted Mason.

Mason, who apparently handled everything from divorces to murder cases, would then agree to represent the innocent on the murder charge. The ensuing investigation would reveal a handful of other folks who the murder benefited.

The final ten minutes or so would consist of the murder trial of the innocent, and these proceedings typically ended with Mason revealing the true culprit ala Sherlock Holmes in the drawing room.

This format was much fresher in the '60s than the modern day, and "Mason's" decades-long appeal goes beyond the three main characters playing their parts well and never emoting to setting a good dramatic pace throughout the show. There seemed to be a complete absence of any hysterical wailing by the accused or "you can't handle the truth," or "the system's out of order" courtroom theatrics by Mason.

It was also nice to see attorneys who represented both sides of the dispute act honorably and be more interested in justice than a win. Along those line, some quasi-innocents avoided legal penalties for doing the wrong thing for the right reason.

Being a quasi-anthology series with a new group of characters each week allowed for bringing in great guest stars. Ryan O'Neill as a preppy college-aged man who hated his very Joan Collinsesque stepmother was a notable example.

The guest star of the set award must go to "NCIS" and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." star David McCallum as an adorkable Frenchman. This character conned out of his living savings by a woman from her past and then accused of causing a plane crash in which her cad of a husband is killed.

Not only was McCallum great as a sweet sad sack, this episode had a nice twist regarding the cause of death. The modus operandi was usually more straightforward.

The nicest thing about the "Mason" series was that there was not a dud in the batch. They should not be confused with the made-for-TV versions from the '90s that were not always as good as the originals.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Mason" is encouraged to email me. Court dismissed.

'The Flintstones' Prime-Time Specials Collection V1: Yabba Dabba Good

The awesome Warner Brothers Archive Collection's release of "The Flintsones Prime-time Specials Collection" Volumes 1 and 2 came at a time that watching the recently released made-for-TV movie "Big Top Scooby-Doo" got me wondering why The Flintsones had not inspired nearly as many spin-off series and specials as everyone's favorite animated great dane and his meddling kids.

I deeply hope that the upcoming Seth "potty mouth" MacFarlane version of "The Flintstones" does not prove to be a case in which I should be sorry for what I wished.


"The Flintsones" was the notable early '60s show that was the first prime-time animated series. It essentially transported the two working-class married couples from "The Honeymooners" to a very 60s-inspired version of the stone age in which humans and dinosaurs peacefully co-habitated.

Transforming the names of celebrities du jour and cities into "rock" this or "stone" that and using stone age animals for appliances and other "modern" conveniences added to the fun. The wooly mammoth shower was a personal favorite.

So far, I have only seen "The Flintsones" V1. This consisted of two hour-long 1979 prime-specials. The first one, which was entitled "The Flinstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone" had our quartet battling those versions of the legendary monsters after winning a trip to Rocksylvania.

The hilarity got fully underway when Fred Flintstone and his sidekick Barney Rubble inadvertently awaken the long dormant Rockula and his Frankenstone monster, who are more Grandpa and Herman Munster than the classic movie monsters from the '30s.

The highly moral Rockula soon gets a thing for Fred's wife Wilma but will not marry her until he kills her current husband; such a solution seems to be divorce Rocksylvania style.

The entertaining story is fairly typical Flintsones fare with not quite as many stone age references. I also would have liked to have seen more characters, such as the Great Gazoo and Hoppy the pre-historic kangaroo, from the original series. However, I smiled often and laughed out loud a few times.

The second V1 story is entitled "Flintstones Little Big League" and is more typical of the original series. Fred and Barney start out as BFFs, they greatly distrust each other and argue on becoming coaches of competing little league teams, and make up by the end of the show. We get the bonus of a peppy musical number about the importance of being a good sport at the very end.

Seeing roughly 12-year-old version of Fred's daughter Pebbles and Barney's son Bam-Bam is a particularly fun aspect of the special. These offspring were infants and toddlers in the original series, and Pebbles was showing the beginning stages of being a Valley Tom Boy and Bam-Bam was a very polite eager cave boy.

If I had to choose a favorite among the two specials, I would pick ""Little Big League" but think that current and new fans of the series will enjoy both presentations.

I would like to mention as well that the complete series set, which includes a plethora of great special features and comes in a sturdy plastic case that resembles the Flintsones television set, of "The Flintstones" was a "Black Friday List" favorite a few years ago and remains in the Top 10 of my all-time favorite complete series sets.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding any incarnation of "The Flintstones" is welcome to email me.

'The Lucy Show' S6: Ending on a Hi-Larious Note

Discovering the plethora of gems on the recently released DVD set of the sixth season of "The Lucy Show" makes it one of the bestest sets of the year.

This awesome follow-up series to Lucille Ball's still mega-hit "I Love Lucy" (ILL) started out with Ball and ILL co-star Vivian Vance in TV pioneer roles as middle-aged single moms sharing a home. The impetus for the classic Lucy shenanigans was usually the perpetually cash-strapped Lucille Carmichael, played by Lucy, trying to complete a DIY project to save some green. 

One need not consult Nostradamus to predict that Lucy recruited BFF Vivian Bagley, played by Vance, to help with the project and that chaos ensued. An episode in which Lucy and Viv installed a shower was the best-known classic. Episodes involving converting their basement into a recreation room and installing a television antenna were equally good.

By the 1967-68 sixth season, "The Lucy Show" had followed the same course as "The Doris Day Show" from the same era. The big city had replaced the suburban/rural setting, the kids were long-forgotten, and the titular character had gone from single mom housewife to career gal similar to the path taken by America's sweetheart Mary Tyler Moore a few years later.

In the case of "Lucy," she had moved from a New York City suburb to Los Angeles. Her career consisted of being the secretary to banker Theodore J. Mooney, played by long-time Lucy co-star Gale Gordon. Mooney was Lucy's banker back east and episodes form that era often had Lucy begging for advances on the allowance for which her late husband had provided. 

The first nice surprise on reading the "Lucy" S6 synopses was that that season included many of my favorite episodes. One show in which Lucy designed an absurdly secure bank vault to convince Jack Benny to open an account was a classic. 

Another great offering had Lucy getting her photo in the newspaper after winning a contest during a sale that she had played hookey from work to attend. A scene in which Lucy tested the claim that dishes were unbreakable was one of the best of the entire series.

An clip show in which Vivian Bagley rode a bus from the New York area to California to nurse Lucy through a broken leg earned the award for the nicest episode of the season. Hearing these characters discuss first season exploits and once again seeing Lucy on stilts and Lucy and Ethel (oops Viv) trapped in a rapidly filling shower and maneuvering around on a roof was beyond words awesome. 

This episode also had a nice twist at the end and would have made an incredible series finale.

It is worth noting as well that Lucy really broke her leg while filming the sixth season of "Here's Lucy." This led to more on-screen humor related to her character having that temporary impairment.

Speaking of "Here's Lucy," a Where's Waldo-style game of looking for Lucy's real-life kids, and "Here's Lucy" co-stars Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr., in "Lucy" episodes is great fun. I am convinced that Lucie appeared in a few episodes that her IMDB page did not list.

The almost weekly appearance of big stars, many of whom were Lucy's personal friends, in S6 of "Lucy" was also a treat. This would become an even larger element of "Here's Lucy."

This roster of guest stars included Benny, Milton Berle, Robert Goulet, Sid Caesar, Ken Berry, Carol Burnett, etc. I also think that Art "Ed Norton" Carney had a cameo as a sewer worker in one a clip during the broken leg episode, but he was not credited for it.

The guest-star of the year award for "Lucy" S6 goes to Joan Crawford. I will allow readers to insert their own "Mommie Dearest" jokes.

I will not confess to the "Dearest" jokes that seeing Crawford clean her foyer and Lucy, while in character, break one of Crawford's crystal glasses brought to my mind. 

I will admit that the episode did get the wonderfully dark Blue Oyster Cult song "Joan Crawford" song stuck in my head. Any tune that starts with the lyric "Catholic school girls have thrown away their mascara" deserves classic status.

The Crawford episode, which included a guest spot by Vance, was entertaining and well-done despite being derivative of a 1966 "Beverly Hillbillies" Gloria Swanson episode. 

The "Lucy" and "Hillbillies" episodes had the main characters meeting the fading star under misleading circumstances that suggested that the celebrity had fallen on hard times. Wanting to help that diva without hurting her pride, the Clampetts and Lucy cast her in a silent film and repertory play respectively. 

Seeing real-life good friends Lucy and Crawford perform together was great, and Crawford really got into the spirit of the thing.

The gaggle of bonus features, which is very typical for CBS Video releases, on the S6 DVD set  deserve their own review. Space limitations requires asking that readers please take my word for this.

An absolutely positively must-see special feature was a 1968 clip of Lucy winning her second Emmy in a row for her role on "Lucy." She demonstrated her sincere love for her craft and genuine appreciation for her fellow television industry colleagues who gave her that honor. 

Seeing the Emmy directed at the people who produced television, rather than being geared to the American public, was very nice. 

This clip alone made me sad that there is no way that I will be able to share a glass of lemonade and piece of pie with Lucy. Among other things, I would have deeply loved to have told Lucy that an ILL scene in which she leads a flock of baby chicks around her Connecticut home is my all-time favorite television scene.

Lucy's then former husband Desi Arnaz deserves credit for the most unique feature in the S6 "Lucy" set. Desi apparently passed on his habit of saving copies of everything to Lucy because the DVD set includes a full S6 episode that was dubbed in Italian that was found in her archives. 

Aside from seeing Lucy speak Italian, hearing another actress' voice come out of her mouth is odd. The episode is subtitled in English, but I chose to watch the English version on the discs.

Another favorite special features was a "The Carol Burnett Show" skit in which Lucy and Carol played competing airport car rental company representatives who manhandled a hapless Tim Conway. Aside from the hilarious script and pitch-perfect performances, seeing the flubs in which a boom mic appeared at the top of the screen and the sets experienced technical difficulties was a nice look back at the days of live television.

Anyone with questions of thoughts regarding "Lucy" is encouraged to email me.
 

'The Ernie Kovacs Collection' V2: A Wry and Crazy Not Ready for Prime Time Player

'50s and '60s comedian Ernie Kovacs is a hilarious hybrid between Groucho Marx, Jackie Gleason, and Bob Newhart. Thanks to the defenders of awesome classic television at Shout Factory, Kovacs' wonderful humor will not be forgotten.

Shout is following up its six-disc "The Ernie Kovacs Collection" with the aptly named three-disc collection "The Ernie Kovacs Collection: Volume 2." The latter is being released on October 23, 2012.

Kovacs V2 contains eight episodes of Kovacs' 1955-1956 NBC morning comedy/variety show, three episodes of his equally hilarious early '60s offbeat game show "Take A Good Luck," and a herd of incredible extras.

The morning show reminded me of David Letterman's late '70s morning show that introduced us to Letterman's slightly less offbeat humor. 

Ala Carson, Kovacs would talk to the audience, perform skits in character, and promote his sponsors' products. A dungeon set and performances, which included America's Top 40 of the day, by Kovacs' wife and later archivist Edie Adams contributed to the show's quirky tone.

(Shout very candidly acknowledged that it could not acquire the rights to most of the musical performances. This really does not detract from the shows.)

One of my favorite bits, which also reflected Kovacs' history in radio, had sound effects represent off-screen activity on which Kovacs commented. An especially amusing example of this, which would never be aired today, had an unseen inebriated man stumble through the studio and drive drunk.

"Take  A Good Luck" was an even better reflection of Kovacs' unparalleled odd outlook on life and strong commitment to presenting that vision. This program was the version of "What's My Line" that I imagined that "SCTV," which often reflected Kovacs' style, would have presented.

The format was that the guest would appear before Kovacs' celebrity panel, who were instructed to cover their ears while the announcer told the audience who the guest was and what made him or her famous. The guests ranged from newly-elected Hawaiian Congressman Daniel Innouye to Asta the then 26-year-old dog from the Thin Man films. 

After the guest was introduced, Kovacs would show short bizarre skits in which he appeared. Trying to figure out what part of those often Bunuel-quality surreal presentations was the clue to the guest's identity was more fun and frustrating than figuring how that clue related to the guest.

A particularly funny moment that demonstrated Kovacs' style consisted of an opening shot showing a potato in a paper cup that the announcer declared was of no importance and would not appear on the show. Kovacs then picked up the potato solely to prove the announcer wrong.

The extras include Kovacs' famous skits with the same type of memorable and popular characters that Gleason created. We also get the even rarer treat of the unaired pilot of Kovacs' Western sitcom "Medicine Man" with his co-star silent film legend Buster Keaton playing a mostly silent indian. (This was well before the days of "native American.") 

This amusing show, which featured Kovacs as traveling Restoration Era carpetbagger who sold a "miracle tonic" was no "F Troop" but was much better than the 1981-82 disaster "Best of the West." This decent humor, and the rare chance to see Kovacs play down his persona, makes this must see TV.

The primary problem was that placing a primarily art-house performer like Kovacs in a conventional sitcom was comparable to casting Adam Sandler in an Oscar Wilde play.

I particularly enjoyed the bonus of the only one-on-one interview that was ever conducted with Kovacs. Seeing him seriously discussing his art while interjecting the wonderfully wry remarks, which included joking about shooting down a plane that flew overheard during the interview, for which he was known was a real treat.

Shout also included its standard high-quality booklet that provided an interesting overview of Kovacs himself and the shows in the collection. Learning while being entertained is always good.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "The Ernie Kovacs Collection: Volume 2" is encouraged to email me.