Search - Brother Dave Gardner on DVD

Brother Dave is Alive and Well

Autumn Music Man | Albany, GA | 04/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have admired the hipster meets Southern preacher styled humor of Brother Dave Gardner ever since I was a teenager. As I am only 44 now, that makes me a little "late" to the party in regards to Bro. Dave. I discovered his albums by accident as a teen and bought them all. As a college student in 1982, I remember reading in the newspaper that Dave had been "down and out" and was poised to make a comeback. One of those "comeback" appearances was at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta - and I was in the audience. The show was hilarious! I had always hoped that there would be a recording of the show released, but when Dave died just a year later, it seemed that was not to be.

Luckily for us, Earl Owensby filmed one of Dave's "comeback" concerts. Unfortunately, when the movie finally made it to VHS a few years ago, it had been chopped in half and re-edited to make two separate VHS cassettes. Something was lost by doing so, and those videos never seemed to be fully satisfactory.

Now, however, with the release of this DVD, everything seems to be back in its proper order in one continious 93 minute concert. It's a joy to see Brother Dave do his thing - all of the most famous stories are here (like "The Motorcycle Story", "The Haunted House" etc) along with several Southern-fried songs and new material. There's even Dave playing a "trap piece" on his drums.

Perhaps with the release of this DVD, as well as the new touring production "Rejoice Dear Hearts", David Wright's new one-man play featuring the life story and humor of Brother Dave, Mr. Gardner will receive the attention he is due as one of the groundbreaking and most popular comedians of the late 50s/early 60s. Maybe someone will even compile a collection of his numerous tv appearances (something like 50 appearances on Jack Paar alone!). Though he died too young at age 57, his humor lives on - see where he was near the end of his short life...and laugh yourself silly with this DVD."

Industrial Strength Night Club Comedian

rain cloud | USA | 05/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I heard this guy a lot growing up, but always on audio--vinyl record to be correct (I'm sure you knew that).

Well, if you ever wondered what it was like to see him in person here it is. What surprised me about this was how well he actually used music in his act. He sang whole songs between comedy bits and I was surprised to find I was actually kind of moved by his choice of songs and how he presented them.

After watching this the first time I thought--God, what an Industrial Strenth Nightclub Comic. This guy was really a classic act, somebody who was born to do this. He's every bit of up there with Joe E. Lewis or any other great nightclub talent you care to name. He's just great at what he does.

My only lookout to you would be that they didn't really mic the audience up very well so you can't really hear the reactions he got during this performance. I read on the net where somebody who was there said it was a loud, demonstrative, raucous crowd who loved the whole thing and laughed every time he flicked an ash off of his cigareette.

So, bearing that in mind, you will have to add your own audience sounds.

Well, enough of blah, blah. Just don't miss this if you're a fan. You won't regret shelling out a few bucks for this. This guy was a fantastic talent and is and will be missed for quite some time.

Goodby, beloved."

NOT SO POLITICALLY CORRECT

V. Howell | Oklahoma | 05/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It was gift for my Father. He saw Brother Dave in person several times years ago. Dad enjoyed the gift, for the old LP's he had were so scratched from wear, one could barely understand them. Brother Dave came along at a time when segregation was still in vogue and political correctness wasn't heard of. His stories might offend some, but there is no cursing and no one is a target of tastless humor."

Brother Dave

Steven Abercrombie | Mobile, AL | 09/30/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This film shows Brother Dave in his twilight, long after his glory days. He still brings the excitement, and you see him basking in the sheer joy of performing. It is really something to see him performing live after only hearing the albums and CDs for the last forty years."