The Jack Paar Collection

Product Details

As Paar demonstrated when he quit The Tonight Show after one of his jokes was censored, anything could happen. In one hilarious clip, he fouls up a Goulet-Judy Garland duet by mixing up their cue cards. Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales observes that, unlike predecessor Steve Allen and successors Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, Jack Parr's Tonight Show combined "the edge of journalism and sparkle of showbiz." Then-Sen. John F. Kennedy was one of the first politicians who ventured into this more informal, unpredictable setting. There is amazing footage of guest Richard M. Nixon playing piano. Discs 2 and 3 present the master at work. Disc 2 contains complete monologues and guest interviews with Nixon, the boxer formerly known as Cassius Clay, Liberace, Billy Graham, and Robert Kennedy. Disc 3 offers three complete broadcasts, including a 1964 program with Cosby and Richard Burton (an added bonus is an embedded clip of Burton's towering performance as Hamlet). Forgive the obvious pun, but to watch Jack in his prime is to see why today's hosts are just not up to Paar. --Donald Liebenson

Product Reviews

(5 stars) - Terrific Memories...I Kid You Not!
I think some of the reviewers who were disappointed in this DVD may not be approaching this collection in the correct way. It is a souvenir of another time...when adult viewers turned into the Tonight Show for some witty and erudite conversation from the likes of the extraordinary British actor/racontour, Robert Morley, and the American author ("Mine Enemy Grows Older"), Alexander King and the musician, Oscar Levant...to the shinning silliness of Zsa Zsa Gabor and the sterling show business tales of the inimitable Judy Garland...those long ago times when viewers enjoyed listening to celebrities talk without scripts and demonstrated why they were celebrated and how they stood in the world...rather than today when we are assaulted by celebrities whose only claim to fame is their propensity for exiting a limousine without wearing underwear. A look back in one's rearview mirror to another time to make you smile and maybe yearn for those gentler, soft focus days of yesteryear.

(5 stars) - A "MUST HAVE" set for any Paar fan
It isn't as if there's an abundance of video available on one of the greatest talents to ever grace the tube. Therefore, let no criticism (however valid) of this set keep you from getting it if you're a Jack Paar fan. I too, thought the erstwhile NBC page's reminiscences were a bit excessive and not particularly interesting (OK, maybe I'm a bit jealous, too), but in no way does it detract from the set. Bonus inclusions, like that of an entire Vaughn Meader (as JFK) routine on video (also as scarce as hen's teeth), help me to easily overlook any production or selection shortcomings. Public domain or not, unfortunately, too much such classic entertainment was either destroyed accidentally or purposely erased (like many of the early Johnny Carson "Tonight" shows) by short-sighted nitwits, so in such situations, I'll gladly take what I can get.

(5 stars) - The Best Talk Show Ever
Jack Paar was the greatest of all talk show hosts then and
now. No question about that. This collection brought back
many, many memories of TV when it was really good. Paar was
the most interesting interviewer-his monologues were as
fascinating as any interview with his guests. This collection reminds you how funny Jonathan Winters was. I could listen to
Robert Morley for hours. It made me sad to see President
Kennedy and the wonderful promises we lost in his death.
The most intriguing facet of Paar was that he actually wasnt
in charge of the conversation-the guests were and that is what
set Paar aside from all other talk show hosts since. We have lost alot, I mean alot of good TV since Paar which is a very
sad thing.

(4 stars) - A Very Worthwhile Collection
I'm not sure why so many people are irked by what ISN'T in this collection. You can't put everything in any collection (unless it's the collected works of Francis Scott Key). I'm grateful for what IS in this collection and it's luverly to have this early Paar material on disc - plus the recent interviews, especially with Cavett. It reminds us how long it's been since talk shows centered on intelligent conversation instead of blather.

(5 stars) - Above Paar!
Jack Paar was unique. He was funny and cerebral. This outstanding set of DVDs shows why he was such fun to watch.

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