Search - Jeff Foxworthy's Comedy Classics on DVD

Classics

Kevin M. | Los Angeles | 12/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD shows you the past, present, and future of country comedy, but unlike some other tribute DVDs, this one features clips that everyone can relate to. My kids laughed through routines by Don Knotts and Jim Varney before hearing material from new comers Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White. To top it all off there is outstanding performances of Foxworthy and Engvall in Las Vegas to close it off. It sure is a classic!"

The Sad Demise of Country Comedy

J. | 03/24/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Someone asked me if I would watch this dvd with them. I looked over the information on the case before deciding. I saw the words "comedy classics" and "a look at the history of country comedy". Well that sounded interesting. On the back of the case the very first picture was of Bob Hope, followed by 3 other pictures. I didn't know what Bob Hope had to do with "country comedy" but I knew he was a king of comedy - so another potential plus in favor of watching this dvd. The back of the dvd case makes the claim: "traces the roots of this truly American art form, from the storytelling of Will Rogers to the heyday of the Grand Ole Opry, where colorful comic characters like Grandpa Jones and Minnie Pearl became famous household names, to comedy legend Andy Griffith sharing priceless clips and memories..." and "introduce us to some of the funniest comics working today". Ok, I said, sounds good, pop it in the player.

The first part of the dvd seemingly races through most of the "roots" - giving us just snippets of the earlier country comedy performers. Many of those early comedians were also musically talented. Some very entertaining but too short partial clips included Lonzo & Oscar with Cousin Jody singing "No Help Wanted", and a very luminescent June Carter in an amusing bit with Faron Young. Many of the clips left you wanting to see more of their work, with the exception of a very unamusing man by the name of Brother Dave Gardner, presented in stills with audio clips. Then all too quickly the dvd arrived at the "Hee-Haw" point in the history - where wit and talent were suddenly giving way to prurient interest. Then on to the "funniest comics working today" - a seemingly endless and painful-to-sit-through stream of unfunny, tasteless and often coarse material presented by "today's hottest comics". For example, a male comedian giving one excruciatingly tedious monologue about his young daughter's menstrual period and associated feminine hygiene supplies. Another male comedian talked about body piercing, face piercing, etc. and concluded this dreary piece with a few words about male genital piercing. "Funniest comics working today"????? Perhaps, but then that's a very sad statement on the state of affairs of comedy today.

Only a total of about 8 minutes of this dvd was devoted to Grand Ole Opry clips, about 18 minutes to an Andry Griffith interview (5 minutes of which was related to the insipid Brother Dave Gardner), and the rest of the dvd seemed to be more of a commercial for modern acts - none of which could hold a candle to the earlier comedians.

This dvd is definitely not a keeper - not enough of the good stuff, and heavily weighted with the worthless stuff

Oh - and P.S. - Bob Hope is not mentioned nor does he appear in the video except for a still shot of him with another comedian. His picture on the case is just another marketing ploy. Not that Hope should have been included - but featuring his picture on the back was intentionally misleading.
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