Christmas With Danny Kaye

I watched THE DANNY KAYE SHOW on CBS when I was a kid. It was very entertaining, and I have also enjoyed several of the late Mr. Kaye's movies, including  White Christmas (Anniversary Edition)  and  Wonder Man [VHS ], which has not yet been released on DVD - the one that Amazon lists appears to be a bootleg or a European import.This DVD features two Christmas episodes of THE DANNY KAYE SHOW. The first one, in B&W from 1963, features The Clinger Sisters (whatever happened to them?), Mary Tyler Moore, who shows off her dancing ability in a silent-film production number, and the legendary Nat "King" Cole, who sings "Get Me To The Church On Time," and the classic "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)," a.k.a. "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire," as well as a duet with Danny on "Jingle Bells," and a closing cast number on "Let There Be Peace on Earth." This may have been one of Nat's last TV appearances, as he was deathly sick the following Christmas, and died in February 1965.The second episode, in color from 1966, features the late great Peggy Lee, Wayne Newton, and The International Children's Choir. Peggy sings "So What's New?," an instrumental hit for Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass that she added lyrics to, "Here's That Rainy Day," and duets with Danny on "Jingle Bells." Wayne performs "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Every Street's A Boulevard (In Old New York)." The Choir does "Let There Be Peace On Earth." Both episodes feature classic comedy sketches, including Danny's trademark dialects.A bonus feature from 1965 features Danny reading an excerpt from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."Picture and sound quality are good, considering the age of the shows. The color is a bit off on the second version, but that may have been because CBS was only in its second year of colorcasts ("CBS presents this program in color!"), a couple of years behind ABC, and a decade behind NBC.Harvey Korman, of CAROL BURNETT SHOW fame, is featured on both episodes; Jamie Farr, later of *M*A*S*H*, is on the first episode.I'd like to see Danny's daughter Dena make more episodes available. Good job.

WOW, this is, in my opinion, the BEST Christmas DVD released this year. TWO vintage Danny Kaye CBS Television shows from 1963 and 1966, with TONS of great stuff to see and hear!A "Dick Van Dyke Show"-era Mary Tyler Moore appears in the first episode, after a cool James Bond-inspired dance number and swingin' Danny Kaye song. Nat King Cole belts out a track from his latest LP, "Songs from My Fair Lady", and it's the same arrangement as on the album, but done live with an orchestra inside CBS Television City! Then, the set around him suddenly morphs into a warm room with a crackling fire, and Nat sings "The Christmas Song" (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire). Danny joins him for a rousing medley of "Jingle Bells Around The World" songs! It's truly amazing to see these two entertainment icons having so much fun together. Nat would live only another year and 2 months after this program was taped, dying of lung cancer, so this video is TRULY a treasure.Fast-forward ahead three years, and by this time, CBS is broadcasting in COLOR! Fun animated opening titles, and a glimpse of Paul Weston, husband of Jo Stafford, who's conducting the orchestra. (Glad he's not "Jonathan Edwards" here!!) The glamorous Peggy Lee wows with a cool new song, accompanied by funky organ, and then jumps into the SAME "Jingle Bells Around The World" medley with Danny, that Nat Cole did three years earlier! Interesting to compare the two versions. A young Wayne Newton performs, dripping with all the winky-eye swagger he can muster!Plus there's much, much more to enjoy.I am particularly impressed with whoever did the very smooth editing of the show from the original tapes for a home video audience. I realize there were telops of old sponsor's products that were superimposed on-screen, as well as announcer voice-overs, that had to be removed (although they would've been fun if left in place) - so even with those things taken out, the shows play seamlessly, and I'm grateful for that. Time-Life could take some editing lessons from the Inception Video staff!Hoping to see more interesting vintage TV releases from Inception.- William Carroll, Denham Springs, Louisiana*Please note: there is apparently a small glitch on some of the earlier pressings of this DVD disc, at the 34:00 minute mark during the color show with Peggy Lee. If you experience this problem, contact Inception and let them know. (Many thanks to Steven I. Ramm, for his helpful comment to my earlier review, and also to Steve Coppel at Inception!)

This disc takes me back to the 1960s when variety was just that.There is a skit in the first show "The Phinemaiden Bicrggrden" (I think) where a young Jamie Farr (from MASH) did a performance as an extra soldier, and it was great to watch him perform.These shows helped many people immensely to get the experience needed to move into movies and their own shows. The shows were done live and all the mistakes were seen by thousands of viewers, but who cared, it was entertainment at it's grandest. Something that is sorely missed in today's environment.With entertainers like Mary Tyler Moore, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Wayne Newton and the Glinger Sisters there is bound to be something to please most people from the era. There are two songs by the International Children's Choir, which I repeated a few times as they were very good for their age.Danny Kaye was one of the great entertainers and I thought it was a shame when he became an ambassador for UNICEF, but he did a grand job of both show business and as an ambassador. When you listened to Danny talk about children, you could understand why he took the role as ambassador.The disc holds only two of his shows plus one extras, so it will only give the viewer a small taste of them. Danny's shows were among a dozen that gave people a small reprieve from their otherwise normal lives, and always came away feeling much better, for a while at least.In the bonus Danny does a heart-felt narration from Charles Dickens' book "Christmas Carols" which is a delight to hear.This dvd gets five stars from me as it was great to see Danny Kaye again after so many years, even it was only for a very short time. I enjoyed the dvd, and hope that people who buy it will also be pleased with this small sample.

Great memento of a superb performer, good quality DVD, a Christmas Cracker!

Excellent programmes with fine guest stars Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole and Mary Tyler Moore.Quality very good considering the age of the material.

I am a Danny Kaye fan & truly enjoyed this Christmas DVD. It brought back great memories. I recommended it to all.

Danny kaye was awesome and love the dvd!

lucky to have this DVD