I love Match Game, but agree this set could have been better.
I am a huge Match Game fan and love any version of the show. That being said, I totally agree with some of the other reviewers that the set should have included more shows from the '74 to '77 era. There was really alot of zany stuff that went on in the panel during those shows, making them the best ones in my opinion. The later episodes '78-'81 which alot of the shows are from on this set, are way too edited and you don't get the interaction within the panel like you do in the older episodes. Honestly, that's what made MG good. The fact that the panel interactions were edited in the later years make those shows slightly less than great. Really, I watch MG to hear the "arguments" between Brett and Charles or Brett and Fannie or Betty. That's what makes for good tv.
That being said, I was also a little disappointed in the fact that none of the episodes featuring Fannie Flagg, my personal favorite semi-regular, featured any of her signature wacky shirts. I would have liked to see at least one episode with one of her shirts that I have come to love her for wearing. Or, since none of the episodes featured any of those shirts, they could have included in the extras either a photo gallery or a montage of different shirts she wore over the years.
Don't get me wrong, I am glad that I got the set and truly hope that they come out with "The Best of Match Game: Volume 2" and more, but as others have said, the quality could have been better and really as far as I am concerned they could have chosen better episodes to include in the set. I didn't really need to see all five shows from the week Kirstie Alley was on, and for that matter didn't care for the episodes with her in them.
Overall, I would recommend this to all fans of MG and recommend that if they do come out with a 2nd volume that they take our suggestions and complaints into consideration.
Dumb Dora Isn't So Dumb
These days, game shows are making their way onto DVD much more frequently, but not in the actual way some video owners have wanted. More games like Price Is Right, Family Feud and Let's Make A Deal are being made into DVD video games, not as home video. It is difficult for it to be equally mastered. Last year, Jeopardy tried to make it onto DVD video in good fashion. Sadly, it seemed more like it was about contestant Ken Jennings, and his reign as champion rather than the other recognized champions like blind champion Eddie Timanus, or others. Now, another game show classic has tried to make it happen, and this time it really is no blank at all, Match Game.
The Best Of Match Game is a 4 disc DVD reflection of one of the most legendary game shows of the 70's and early 80's. See some of the classics that legendary wild host Gene rayburn, and his band of merry blanking panelists, as they bring out the best in humor from the legendary classic CBS game show. The shows popularity within the past years has been extraordinary in the past few years on Game Show Network, later called GSN. Earlier this year, GSN named Match Game as the greatest game show of all time, according to their countdown of the 50 greatest game shows of all time, outranking longer-running shows like Jeopardy and Wheel Of Fortune. This DVD collection 30 episodes from this classic show in its 3 formats, the syndicated late 70's edtion, the CBS daytime version, and Match Game's nightime version, Match Game P.M.
There are many great episodes here that feature classic panelists Brett Sommers, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Richard Dawson, yes Richard Dawson before and while he began his reign as the original host of Family Feud, including a episode where Richard helps the audience start a riot, where he felt a ruling from a judge was improperly given, to a episode where Gene starts a fight, where he is playing tug of war with a cameraman for giving a improper shot. The set also features episodes with favorites including Kirstie Alley from the recent Jenny craig ads, when she was originally appearing just as a contestant who had won $6,000, and Michael Landon who was the first celebrity announced on the CBS daytime version in 1973. There also as extras from a tribute to the late Gene Rayburn, andd reflection from Brett Sommers herself, on some of her all time favorite moments from the show, from her point of view.
All in all, I just absolutely wish that there could've been more episodes of Match Game that were highlighted, but hopefully there will be. All in all, The Best Of Match Game is still a much better purchase for anybody who is into game shows like this classic blank. I definitely love watching this wonderful classic game show on GSN, and it is all new, fresh and exciting to me. If you haven't seen this classic game show at all, you really don't know how much fun you're missing. I love this show a lot, and I really recommend The Best Of Match Game on DVD. Dumb Dora really isn't so dumb after all.
Price: A-
DVD Extras: B+
Episodes: B+
Remastering: A-
Packaging: A
Overall: A-
Amazing Set, but Could have been Better
I am a HUGE Match Game fan, and when I found out they were releasing it on DVD, I was ecstatic. Having bought it and ran through some of the episodes (I'm currently on Disc 2) I decided to write this little review.
First off, let me say that this set IS NOT Digitally REMASTERED. It is merely Digitally TRANSFERRED, meaning taking an analog VHS tape and transferring its contents to a Digital source- i.e. DVD. There was no clean up of any video or audio of any kind, wich is disappointing. Audio is presented in a mono format, which is fine for audio purists, but I expected more. I wanted so much to hear Johnny Olsen say, "Get Ready to Match the Stars!" in surround sound! :)
In this set, you get 30 episodes of the "Best" of Match Game. Some of the ticket plugs are kept in the episodes, and others are not. Keeping the original product placements at the end was a nice touch. However, there is no Play All function; that means that after every episode, it goes back to the menu after running through a couple title sequences- EVERY TIME! It gets kind of annoying after a while. One big disppointment is the fact that probably the most famous moment of Match Game was not included in this set: the hilarious Karen Lesko "nipple" incident from 1973! If anything, a clip could have been included as part of the Best of Match Game special feature.
Be warned: On Disc 1, episode: 10/2/76. There is a major audio/vidoe sync error starting from 13:01 min to 14:34 min. Several seconds of video is missing and caused the a/v to go out of sync. This is corrected when the show comes back from commercial black. Disappointing and unfortunate that this has happened in this day and age. It should have been corrected.
Also the episode labled as the pilot is not actually the pilot; instead, it's the premiere episode from July '73. The pilot featured a different "Jackpot Round" and had a few cosmetic changes. The pilot has aired on tv, so this error shouldn't have been made, either.
One minor personal nitpick: many of the episodes (over half) are from 1978 or later, which doesn't make much sense, seeing as how Match Game's best years are generally considered to be from '74-'77. That's when the panelists were at their zaniest, that's for sure!
The special features are pretty good. Match Game regular celebrity panelist Brett Somers is interviewed and hosts a little special "The Best of Match Game" on every disc. While it's great to see her, she's clearly reading from cue cards, and looks more than a little distracted. In my opinion, there could have been more interviews with other celebrity panelists that have been on the show. Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly were both on for 9 years, so they are the logical two, but where are the other fan favorites like Betty White, Marcia Wallace, Richard Dawson, and Fannie Flagg? They all could have shared some fond memories on Match Game and, indeed, host Gene Rayburn. And as a fan, I would have liked to have seen the GSN documentary, "Match Game: Behind the Blank" added to the set. It would have been a nice addition and certainly shines a lot of information about Match Game and some of the panelists.
The packaging is awesome, I must say. It's so '70s retro, it's almost ridiculous! But that's the way it should be: tongue-firmly-in-cheek, the way Match Game was. It even has some questions on it like, "Dumb Dora is so dumb! She tried to BLANK her birthday suit!"
All in all, it's a fantastic DVD collection that could have been made even better had the episodes simply been Digitally Remastered. I don't necessarily mean HD quality picture and sound, but DVD quality. Really, the monaural soundtrack has to go. As for the collection of episodes, it's all a matter of opinion, but this collection is a pretty good one. It's not definitive, that's for sure. I would love to see another collection or two with all these problems fixed. The Best of Match Game Volume 2, anyone?
Collection of episodes: A-
Video quality: B
Sound quality: C-
Fun Factor: B
Special Features: B-
If you've got the others, grab this set as well. Looney Tunes have never looked better.
This time around, the box set is smaller and much more efficient. The previous sets had one disc per fold-out, which left extra space on the opposite side to fill up with dumb quotes from the shorts. Now the layout is much better.
The cover art however, could've been much better. It looks so much like the first volume - why couldn't they do something different? Volume 3's cover was refreshing, volume 4's looks bland. The gloss and emboss is nice, though.
I love the black and white shorts - the sense of humour in the early 30's shorts is totally different from later years. The characters would always make objects do things they weren't supposed to - like grabbing... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Chuck Jones - Robert McKimson - Friz Freleng DVD Release Date: Released the 14 November 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The fourth season of "Bewitched" is a delight. The series had established a universe of characters so that they had an excellent variety & balance by the fourth season. Several episodes were written with Darren away on business, presumably because Dick York was increasingly suffering from back problems. I thought that my favorite character Aunt Clara was well represented in episodes like "McTavish" where her warlock boyfriend Aucky buys a haunted castle that requires Samantha to zap over to England just as Darrin's parents are vacationing there. One professional reviewer did write, "Conspicuous by her absence throughout most of season four is Marion Lorne as 'Sam's' befuddled Aunt Clara, whose magical spells somehow always go awry. Seriously ill and suffering from a rapidly failing... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 24 October 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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I received my copy of the DVDs last week and love every moment as I watch every show. The color and sound were good. Though no special features on these DVDs for those who like that kind of thing. In this first season you see Mr Briggs (Steven Hill) as the Mission Leader. He did a great job as Mission Leader. Also, another interesting note is that the tape recorder wasn't the only method use to give the mission brief at the beginning.
This is a must see for any fan on the Mission Impossible TV Series.
I wonder if we shall see the other seasons anytime soon? Nothing on the radar screen. More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 05 December 2006 Usually ships in 6 to 11 days
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THE BEST INVESTMENT IN LAUGHTER YOU CAN POSSIBLY MAKE.
How do I mark 10 stars?
My father always believed that laughter was the best medicine.
That would explain why 2 of my brother's died from tuberculosis, but that is another story.
I cannot tell you people how many time I have rented the 2 VHS sets at a blockbuster with my best friends, quoting lines and never getting tired of them.
I have been waiting for YEARS for this to come out on DVD and have bought myself and my best friend a copy already.
Nordburg was amazing in this one. From his chain gang and "cocain testing" (shine little glow worm, glimmer, glimmer!) to his role in the charades game with the mime:
"Oh, I love charades. What are the teams?"
"Not now,... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Joe Dante - Jerry Zucker - David Zucker DVD Release Date: Released the 07 November 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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