Courtesy: StarVista Entertainment/Time Life Entertainment
Every year or so cable network Comedy Central airs a new celebrity roast, honoring and poking fun at a different celebrity. The celebrities in question come from every avenue of the entertainment world. There’s no denying that the roasts in question are entertaining. However, there is also no denying that they are also nothing new when examining the annals of television’s history. From 1973 to 1984, Dean Martin and NBC ruled the airwaves with Martin’s hit series of celebrity roasts. Just as with Comedy Central’s celebrity roasts, Martin’s roasts playfully poked fun at some of the biggest names of the day from every avenue of entertainment. Despite more than four decades having passed since The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts first hit the airwaves, the series of roasts remains just as entertaining today as it was so many years ago. One could even argue that The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts are even better than Comedy Central’s celebrity roasts, having set the precedent so long ago. Thanks to StarVista Entertainment, that argument has been supported quite well in recent years thanks to the release of The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts on DVD. Five separate box sets featuring episodes of the hit broadcasts have been released since 2013. Now two more collections have been released by StarVista Entertainment; one an eight-disc set titled The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts: Stingers and Zingers, and the other a single disc collection focusing on three of the sports world’s greatest names titled The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts: Hall of Fame. Both sets were released in stores and online April 14th. And both are well worth the purchase for anyone that wants a good laugh. The guest honorees and their roasters are obviously the heart of the discs’ enjoyment and success. The jokes that the guests shoot at one another and the honorees are of course at the heart of the sets’ success. They and the guests’ timing in delivering said jokes will leave audiences in stitches, making for even more reason for viewers to purchase either set. On another level, the production values presented in both Dean Martin Celebrity Roast sets presents one more reason that they are so enjoyable. The episodes presented in both sets have been masterfully re-touched. They look and sound wonderful across the board. Such laudable work on the sets’ restoration is deserving of its own share of praise. It proves to be one more reason for any viewer and lover of classic TV to purchase either set. Together with the guests and the nonstop jokes across the board it proves to be one more reason that both belong in the library of any comedy lover and lover of classic TV.
StarVista Entertainment’s latest Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts sets are two more fine examples of everything that once made comedy (and television in larger part) great. They show just how far comedy and television have strayed from their former greatness. One could even go so far as to say that both are so enjoyable that they are deserving of a spot in the library of any comedy lover and classic TV lover alike. The central reason for such praise is the collective list of guests and honorees presented across both sets. The guests featured throughout both sets is a who’s who of the sports and entertainment worlds. Ruth Buzzi, Don Rickles, Bob Hope, Red Button and so many other greats roast their friends Jack Kulgman, Mr. T., and Evel Knievel among so many others. Younger audiences might recognize some of the celebrity guests and honorees. However, older audiences are more apt to know the names featured in each episode. Of course, for those that might not be so familiar with those names, being introduced to them could actually prove beneficial. It could teach said audiences about the figures that remain today some of the most respected in their respected fields. So to that extent, it could be argued that the featured celebrities could actually serve as the starting point for a lesson on the history of American entertainment. Such a rich representation of Hollywood’s greatest ages and of the sports world’s equally rich history is just one reason that audiences will enjoy both of these new Dean Martin Celebrity Roast sets. The jokes lobbed at the honorees and guests alike make for even more enjoyment from both presentations.
The guest and honoree lists that make up both of StarVista Entertainment’s new Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts sets by themselves prove to be plenty of reason in themselves for audiences to purchase either set. Of course, those guest and honoree lists can only do so much in encouraging viewers to pick up either et. The jokes lobbed back and forth between the guests and honorees add even more enjoyment for audiences. In terms of the jokes, Mickey Mantle and other athletes and celebs throw some real heaters at baseball legend Joe Garagiola including jokes about his batting average, and even his ability to swing both on the field and off among other topics. Yes, there is some blue material. And Garagiola isn’t the only victim of that material, either. Needles to say not all of the jokes are proper for some younger viewers. Older audiences though, will get a real laugh from all of that material and more. Gary Coleman dresses up just like Mr. T for Mr. T’s roast. And his joke about wanting to be big like Mr. T gets its own share of laugh, especially with Coleman dressed just like Mr. T. And the jabs thrown at TV legend Monty Hall will have viewers in stitches. These are just some of the examples of how the guest and honoree lists presented in each of StarVista’s new Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts set work in conjunction to make both sets equally enjoyable despite one being a single-disc set and the other an extensive eight-disc set. There are so many examples that could be listed that there is simply neither enough time nor space to go into everything. Needless to say regardless of which example(s) is/are chosen, every one proves to be as entertaining as any others. That in mind, the combination of the guest/honoree lists featured throughout both sets coupled with the jokes makes for all the reason in the world to add either one to any lover of real comedy and/or classic television.
The combination of the guest/honoree lists that compose both of StarVista Entertainment’s new Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts sets make for more than enough reason for any lover of true comedy and classic TV to purchase either set. They will put smiles on any viewer’s face and draw nonstop laughs from any viewer’s mouth. Taking that into consideration, there is only one other element of both sets to examine. That final element is the collective production values of both sets. The production values in question refers to the look and sound of the episodes culled for the sets. StarVista Entertainment made completely certain once again with these sets to note the possibility that there may be some issues with the sets’ production values and for audiences to essentially bear with StarVista. As with StarVista’s previously released Carol Burnett Show releases (and others), audiences will be pleased to know that the disclaimers in question were hardly needed. Those charged with re-mastering each episode for the sets are to be commended for their efforts. That is because as old as the footage is, every episode looks and sounds wonderful, thus making for all the more reason to add either set to any true comedy and classic TV lover’s home library. There are no real noticeable impurities or other issues with any of the footage. It is yet another testament to those responsible for resurrecting this and so many other classic series for StarVista Entertainment and for audiences. Their efforts have resulted in footage that maintains the series’ classic look without sacrificing anything along the way. The end result is footage that will create a welcome sense of nostalgia both among those that grew up with Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts and those that might be first time viewers. It is a feeling that will make any of said viewers want to watch these episodes again and again.
StarVista Entertainment’s new Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts sets may differ in the number of discs that make up each set. It is the only difference between the two sets, though. Audiences will agree in viewing both sets that there is plenty to appreciate in both sets. The guest/honoree lists themselves serve as a great starting point for a lesson about Hollywood’s history and that of America’s sports world. The stingers, zingers, and otherwise laugh-inciting jokes served up by the guests and honorees make for even more enjoyment from both sets. Thanks to the efforts of those charged with re-mastering the classic footage, every episode looks and sounds as good as it did in its original broadcast so many decades ago. Each episode looks and sounds so good that the sets’ disclaimers regarding the episodes’ production values prove to be just as unnecessary as with StarVista’s past classic TV releases. Each element proves highly important to the enjoyment of both of StarVista’s new Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts sets in their own way. Together they make both sets welcome additions tothe home library of any lover of true comedy and classic television. Both sets are available now online and can be ordered online direct via Amazon. More information on this and other titles from StarVista Entertainment is available online now at:
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