DVD sets celebrate classic couples, comedy teams
“Great Comedy Teams Collection”
This four-disc collection features 14 films, seven comic shorts and bonus material. Abbott & Costello are featured in “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Africa Screams,” while Laurel & Hardy star in “The Flying Deuces,” “Utopia” and “The Stolen Jewels.” The Three Stooges star in “Sing a Song of Six Pants,” “Malice in the Palace,” “Disorder in the Court,” “The Brideless Groom” and two Shemp shorts. The set also showcases the East Side Kids featuring “Bowery Blitzkrieg,” “Ghosts on the Loose,” “Spooks Run Wild,” “Mr. Wise Guy” and more.
“TCM Greatest Classic Films: Romantic Affairs”
The four films in this collection feature onscreen couples with great romantic chemistry. Love stories like these are one of the reasons film buffs love going to the movie theater.
The films are: “My Favorite Wife” with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” with Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery, “Woman of the Year” with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn and “Instant Love” with Rhonda Fleming and Rossano Brazzi.
“The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: The Vault Series Volume One”
This new DVD series is designed for fans of “The Tonight Show,” who have been asking for complete shows. The first volume features two shows from 1972, including commercials. On his 10th anniversary special, Johnny's guests were Dean Martin, Ronald Reagan, Jack Benny, Joey Bishop, Don Rickles, George Burns, Jerry Lewis and more. The second show has John Denver, Bob Hope, Peter Fonda, Dom Deluise and others. There is also a bonus clip featuring a classic moment from the show.
“42”
This drama tells the story of Jackie Robinson, who became the first black baseball player in what was once a white man's game. In 1945, Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) decided to integrate baseball. He and his scouts decided on Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), a player from the Kansas City Monarchs. He is signed to Rickey's minor league team, and within a year is brought up to the Dodgers.
Race divided America at that time, and baseball mirrored society. Robinson had the talent, and he had the right temperament not to fight back when provoked — something Rickey insisted on despite the racism Robinson constantly encountered. Teammates taunted him, and he couldn't stay in the same hotels as the other players. Yet, he slowly won over his teammates and became Rookie of the Year.
Jackie Robinson was a man for the ages and a true legend. You do not have to be a fan of baseball to enjoy this exciting film that captures the sport and the times so beautifully.
Available Next Week
• “Arthur C. Clarke Collection”
• “Jack Benny Program: The Lost Episodes”
• “Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXVII”
• “Shoah” (Criterion Collection)
• “Starbuck”
• “The Silence”
• “Trance”