The Best Of Mister Ed –
Volume Two (MGM DVD)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: D Episodes: C+
NOTE: This Best
Of volume (one of two) from MGM are out of print and they have decided to
issue the individual seasons through Shout! Factory. You can read more starting at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9089/Mister+Ed+%E2%80%93+Season+One
Now, the original review…
MGM continues their definitive releases of episodes of Mr.
Ed with a second volume of 20 black and white shows starring a talking
horse who is even more impressive in that he talks without digital
effects. Like it or not, the show was a
hit and one of the last of its kind in that the gimmick was simple and people
bought it. TV was soon to change
radically and when the idea was recycled for the horrid My Mother, The Car
a few years later, one of the worst TV shows of all time had debuted.
This series has not aged well at all, though the show and
these copies have fared better. Credit
goes to Alan Young for his Wilbur Post was not an easy character to keep
fresh. Young in real life always was
supportive of the show and never disappointed the fans. Now, this is like watching an old children’s
television show, but its audience went beyond that. Nevertheless, it was a hit and some kind of
minor classic. The shows here in this
double-sided, double DVD set are:
1)
Ed Gets The Mumps
2)
Ed Visits A Gypsy
3)
Ed, The Chauffeur
4)
Ed, The Donkey
5)
Mae West Meets Mister Ed
6)
Mister Ed Writes Dear Abby
7)
Like Father, Like Horse
8)
Ed, The Race Horse
9)
Ed, The Pilot
10) Ed, The Stowaway
11) Animal Jury
12) Ed’s Juice Stand
13) Ed’s Contact Lenses
14) The Bank Robbery
15) My Horse, The Mailman
16) Robin Hood Ed
17) Ed, The Artist
18) Ed A Go-Go
19) Coldfinger (aka Ed Sniffs Out A Cold Clue)
20) Ed Breaks The Hip Code (aka Spies Strike Back)
From those titles, you can tell the show was trying to
jump on every trend and obvious gag it could.
That they got celebrities only legitimized the nuttiness. Since TV was still so new and was only on the
verge of its color turnover shows just how innocent those innocent days
were. Unfortunately, this was a one
trick-pony, er, horse show and it wears thin quickly. It was an original for what that’s worth and that
is why MGM continues to issue these sets.
The 1.33 X 1 image was shot on film and looks decent for
its age. As compared to other filmed
black and white TV we have looked at, it is not as good as Have Gun, Will
Travel, but could hold its own against the filmed Avengers with
Diana Rigg. However, the gray scale is
sometimes off depending on the print, but that is still better than you will
see them just about anywhere else. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is about what one could expect form a show this old,
with the famous title songs in tact on every show. There are no extras, something many a bootleg
could also claim. MGM really should add
extras to the next set, as the series at least deserves to be placed in some
context. Otherwise, it is for fans and
the strongly curious.
- Nicholas Sheffo