Customer Rating:      Summary: Maybe the best of the "roasts" Comment: I've seen most of the Dean Martin Roast videos. This Frank Sinatra roast remains easily my favorite. If you have not seen one of these, be prepared for a rare treat from an age gone by. Witty, classy, clean (with subtle naughty undertones on occaision).
This Sinatra program was especially good, with outstanding presentations from Milton Berle (whom I never previously cared for), Peter Faulk in his Columbo character (genius), Jonathan Winters (more genius), Ernest Borgnine, Jimmy Stewart and many, many more - including Ronald Reagan.
Filmed in 1978. Run time, 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Customer Rating:      Summary: Frank Sinatra Roast a Classic Comment: In 1977, Dean Martin hosted the "Dean Martin Celebrity Roast" series (which ran on NBC Thursday nights in the 1970's and 1980's). Of the many roasts produced in this series, this episode is especially entertaining as it focuses on one of America's greatest crooners of all-time, Frank Sinatra.
The roasters are of course a who's who of the Hollywood Golden Age. I especially enjoyed a video clip of Sinata and Gene Kelly performing dancing routines in three of their movies from the forties and early fifties. Old Blue Eyes was an accomplished dancer! Old George Burns begins the roasting followed by Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Stewart, Dom Deluise and Jonathan Winters, Milton Berle, Flip Wilson, LaWanda Page and Redd Foxx. Peter Falk makes a "surprise" visit as Lt. Columbo (a bit long in my opinion). Ruth Buzzi appears as Gladys Ormfby and proceeds to wallop just about everyone on stage. Ernest Borgnine surprises everyone with a rendition of his role as "Fatso" in "From Here to Eternity". There are other "star roasters as well, including Telly Savalas, whom I never found particularly funny. Don Rickles is hilarious as usual and gives Sinatra a full kiss on the mouth!
It's all good (mostly) clean fun. There simply is nothing like it today. The Comedy Channel is too profane for family viewing, and comedians today feel the need to shock their audiences with profanity-laced "jokes". Not so with the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. These are adult oriented shows, certainly, but the jokes and gags are camoflaged enough so that little ears are not offended.
Want to laugh until your belly aches? Get this in VHS or DVD!
Jim Konedog Koenig
Customer Rating:      Summary: Very Funny! Comment: A few of the hosts were not that funny but some were great! Ruth Buzzi as the spinster with the purse as weapon (from Laugh-In) was fantastic. Peter Falk was in character as Columbo in his routine and it was great. Flip Wilson's routine was way, way too short. Red Foxx was great too. Also included roasting Frank was Orson Welles, Don Rickles, Jack Klugman, Jimmy Stewart, Ronald Reagan shortly after losing to Ford for President!, More.
Customer Rating:      Summary: Disappointed Comment: I bought, what I thought, was a real DVD of the Dean Martin Roasts. Turns out it is just someone who made a homemade DVD off of a tape. Extremely disappointing and misleading.
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