The Dean Martin Variety Show Uncut (3 DVD)

UPDATE (6/21/12):

THIS JUST IN: One month after The Dean Martin Variety Show Uncut was released, The Golddiggers Super Site has learned exclusively that a 4th Dean Martin Show DVD set is in the works... Also: Guthy-Renker has pulled its Dean Martin Show volumes from the market (this time, forever)...Plus: The most thorough REVIEW and analysis of the new DMS Uncut DVDs to be found anywhere.

If you're a fan of Dean and his series and care about its future course, you won't want to miss our extensive coverage, which can be found simply by entering into any search engine the words: Updates/TheGolddiggers Super Site

ORIGINAL PREVIEW (3/23/12):

As those who have either purchased or simply read about past DVD releases of Dean Martin Show material are all too aware, many of the musical numbers from the original programs have gone missing from the home video editions, as casualties of the often prohibitively high cost of licensing reuse rights from music publishers, composers, and their estates. But fans of Dean's series who've long lamented this frustrating situation now have new cause to rejoice, with the imminent rollout of this forthcoming collection from Time-Life.

As its title suggests, The Dean Martin Variety Show Uncut at last delivers what Dino enthusiasts have long wished for: whole, unedited episodes -- in this case, 6 of them, drawn from the first 6 years of the series' run, digitally remastered on 3 DVDs.

Among the celebrated guest stars and familiar series regulars whose musical numbers will actually be shown in their entirety on these discs are: Cyd Charisse, Joey Heatherton, Caterina Valente, Barbara McNair, Zero Mostel, Leslie Uggams, Abbe Lane, Buck Owens, Buddy Ebsen, The Lettermen, Dom DeLuise, The Golddiggers and The Dingaling Sisters. And of course, most importantly of all, every one of Dean's performances -- both solo and in tandem with others -- has been included.

The parties responsible for producing this set -- Time-Life, NBCUniversal and The Dean Martin Family Trust -- deserve major kudos, not only for responding to fans' desires for complete, unabridged episodes, but also for managing to bring these wonderful goods to market for a very low price. In fact, to truly appreciate what a superb value this package is, one need only compare it to Guthy-Renker's Dean Martin DVDs, which, while offering an hour's worth of admittedly fabulous segments per volume, cost $19.95 apiece. By contrast, Time-Life's newest effort, if purchased at Amazon's current pre-order price, yields a total of SIX unedited episodes for about the same amount as a single G-R disc.

For much more on the new Dean Martin Variety Show Uncut collection, including further details of the Original Air Dates and lineups of the episodes featured -- info that you won't find anywhere else -- just Google the title of The Golddiggers Super Site's exclusive article: Dino Vino Undiluted.

If anyone wants complete versions of Dean Martin's Variety Show released to the public, it is I, along with thousands of fans worldwide! I was so lucky to have been there at NBC, as a network executive, for every taping of Dean's Variety Show during it's nine-year run. There was nothing like Dean's show, and there will never be anything like it again. The stars and celebrities that walked through those doors were overwhelming! Even the folks behind the scenes were like a loving family. Dean himself was just as you saw him on the screen, and the bond that I formed decades ago is still with me today!

If it were not for Time-Life investing in previous Dean Martin show releases, there would not be this third installment of Dean's Variety Show on DVD. Mainly because of legal reasons, the previous two sets had some of Dean's songs edited out. Now, for the first time, six of Dean's shows from his nine-year span on NBC are able to be released with all the songs intact (minus one song which could not be restored from the original master).

It is with great honor and satisfaction that I have been able to help Time-Life, almost forty-some years later, to present to a younger generation what a phenomenon Dean's show was like. It's even a bigger thrill to bring back those wonderful memories for the rest of us "older" folks to remember.

Once again, Lee Hale is the "hands on" creative consultant on this DVD release. Lee was the shows' original (Emmy nominated) "Special Materials" person and Musical Director. Lee Hale was also nominated for Emmy Awards in producing and editing. Because of Lee Hale, these releases have all the original flavor and continuity of the original broadcasts -- only more vibrant with re-mastering of the ORIGINAL color tapes of the show.

The price is good on this set of six-shows on 3 DVD's. For more information on The Time-Life DVDs and Dean Martin himself, there will be an exclusive layout in the forthcoming Dean Martin Fan Center magazine. Check out the Dean Martin Fan Center online!

This set is the best to date of any Dean Martin Show releases! It feels like I'm back in studio 4 at NBC all over again!

What a joy to finally see some of Dean's old shows intact with no cuts! And despite what one of our reviewers said, the video and audio quality is excellent considering the master tapes are over 40 years old. It was great seeing the guest stars (and quite a variety it was), all of whom I remembered well, but I think as I am now not a kid any longer that I actually am appreciating some of them far more than I did at the time. I was such a fan that I can actually remember sitting in Mr. Davis' biology class and not being able to concentrate because I was thinking that Dean was on that night. And it's sort of the same now, because as each of these programs ending I would sit there for a couple of minutes and find myself still grinning with enjoyment.

Yes, with the old variety shows, sometimes you had to sit through performances of people you didn't always appreciate, but Dean's shows more than made up for that with the spontaneity and good-natured humor that was always there.

I hope Time-Life does more of these. I'll buy everyone they put out and I relish sitting there and living the joy all over again!