The Merv Griffin Show (1962-1986) [DVD]

MERV is back in a fantastic, all-new DVD set from Reelin' In The Years Productions and MPI Home Video. "The Merv Griffin Show" is a 12 disc set that faithfully represents Merv Griffin's incredible career behind the desk from 1962 to 1986. There are priceless moments from many masters of comedy (Jack Benny, Henny Youngman, Jerry Lewis, Woody Allen, Lucille Ball, Carl Reiner) along with a bevy of fresh-faced "newbies" (a short-haired George Carlin; Richard Pryor; Jerry Seinfeld; Jay Leno, et al.). Music lovers will be utterly delighted with the diverse selection of artists and genres featured here. (Look for the national debut of a 19 year old kid from New Jersey named Whitney Houston!) Since their inception in the 1950s, television talk shows have chronicled our perpetually changing times and tastes. The Griffin show epitomized this by blending topical conversation into the daytime variety/talk framework. And so, we are treated to historic interviews with Dr. Martin Luther King, Richard M. Nixon, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, President Gerald Ford, and President Ronald Reagan. There are bonus features galore. Among them: Rare episodes from Merv's late-night CBS series (yes, Merv was a rival of Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" from 1969 to 1972); a nice chunk from his NBC daytime show, circa 1962 (long thought to be lost); and an amusing snippet from 1986 in which Merv gives "tips" to young Jay Leno on how to host a talk show! The visual quality is stunning throughout, particularly in the early black & white episodes with Arthur Treacher. The set is accompanied by a 52 page booklet that includes a foreward by Dick Cavett; rare photos (most of which have never been published before); extensive liner notes detailing the history of the program; and an account by the producers explaining how the tapes were located and painstakingly restored. This set will be a welcome addition to the collection any serious student or casual connoisseur of classic television.

I am the author of THE MOOSE THAT ROARED and a long-time TV-radio historian and collector. I can say without qualification that this is the finest vintage TV release I've bought, and I've collected many over the years. Not only is the quality and restoration work the best I've seen, but the selection is intelligent and historically vital, if you consider rare appearances of such luminaries as Dr. Martin Luther King (just months before his assassination) and comic/activist Dick Gregory to be important social documents. Their loquaciousness and calmness of reasoning makes modern day sound bite discourse seem often shallow and, yes, dumbed down in comparison. This time capsule set of DVDs is lovingly crafted and certainly will be the catalyst to a major re-evaluation of the lesser lauded talk shows and their place in TV history: Merv (and Mike Douglas too) have always been relegated as less important than the late night and less serious shows like Carson. The individual episodes, with mostly very generous chunks of shows, also put paid to any smug feeling that we are far more sophisticated than back in the 1960s...watch these early shows and pine for a time when opinions could be debated without the ugly stridency of today's mind-numbing quick attention span blather. This was a world before the often-vacuous modern celebrity cult phenomenon when people took time, and our intelligence wasn't insulted. Along with serious interviews there are many excellent examples of fine entertainers and comics too. Enjoyment factor is very high in this set and I am very happy to give it my highest recommendation. Please spread the word to show biz buffs, TV collectors and historical junkies...the more folk who purchase this set, the better chance of more volumes to come. A magnificent DVD release!

I went straight to the episode saluting William Wyler, as I recall enjoying that episode when it originally aired. What a time capsule it is! The first thing I noticed was all the smoking, especially by Walter Pidgeon. You'd never see such graphic enjoyment of tobacco today on television. It's amazing that he lived as long as he did, as he practically makes love to that cigarette, more so than Bette Davis, who was sitting beside him as if in a race for the smokers' championship. Everyone's recalling their work from twenty-five to thirty-five years ago and now, here it is forty plus years later!I can't wait to savor more episodes, one at a time, over the next several months. This is one of the stellar releases of the year for me, reminiscent of the Cavett Show sets. It features several complete episodes (any breakaways for movie clips are eliminated due to rights' issues, of course) and countless additional interview segments as bonus extras. The quality of the videotape transfers is extraordinary. It is indeed a time capsule to a bygone era. A must for fans of mid-twentieth century culture at its zenith!

Merv Griffin is a legend

The dvds have interesting edited episodes of the show. However, I am a fan of the show and watched it faithfully when it was airing years ago. The parts that interested me most at the time were the musical highlights with the house band which was made up of some of the best jazz musicians of their day, many of whom were legends in jazz. These were regular musicians who interacted with Merv on a pretty much " every episode basis. " I was under the impression that these 44 episodes were complete, which they are not. They have been edited to remove the interactions that involved many jazz numbers and terrific artists such as Herb Ellis on guitar, and Jack Sheldon on trumpet and many vocals, not to mention well known guest musicians who sat in for interesting banter and playful entertainment. This took place on a very regular basis and was a substantial part of the show and made it more cohesive. This is upsetting, that this huge heart and soul of the show has been removed. Though the interviews and the humour of the guests, plus the generally pop music entertainment is good to see, I miss the brilliant jamsessions and jazz music that was so much a part of the program. Who edited this stuff all out and why. And then why was theimpression given that these 44 episodes were complete. Sadly, it should have been done better and we who purchased it should have received our moneys worth. I will also point out that there are substantial interferance artifacts and issues in many of the videos, as well as some less than good quality sharpness in the Sammy Davis performance of " candyman ."Anyhow, live and learn. I really thought you were better than that.