"Will McCarkel, Mark and Sparkle Farkel. Simon and Gar Farkel, Will McCarkel. Our good friend, Ferd Burffel. Will, Ferd. Ferd, Will. What's in the basket?" - Jo Anne Worley as Fanny Farkel introducing her family to Milton Berle as Officer Will McCarkel
The Best of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Volume 2 DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
Dan Rowan and Dick Martin are back to preside over Laugh-In's merry band of lunatics in this second collection of episodes from the classic late-1960s comedy. As in Volume 1, this Rhino boxed set contains six episodes and three supplemental interviews spread over three discs. Even the groovy, brightly colored menus are the same. What can fans expect to find on the shows themselves? Look no further - here's a guide to the episodes guest stars, cameos, and comic highlights.
The first episode on disc one originally aired on December 15, 1969. Oscar winner Greer Garson (Mrs. Miniver) is this episode's official guest, but Lorne Greene (Bonanza, Battlestar Galactica) also makes several appearances throughout. Fans of the Farkel Family sketches may be interested in knowing that this episode features what apparently is the first appearance by the clan with Garson playing matriarch Fanny. (For those who do not remember, all of the kids in the Farkel Family had bright red hair, thick black glasses, and huge freckles. They did not look like either of their parents, but bore a suspiciously striking resemblance to neighbor Ferd Burffel.)
Next on disc one is the March 2, 1970 episode featuring guest Danny Kaye and a cameo appearance by Zsa Zsa Gabor. This episode is notable because dirty old man Tyrone Horneigh (Arte Johnson) meets the father of Gladys Ormphby (Ruth Buzzi), the pathetic woman who wears a brown sack dress and a hairnet. It seems that after all the years Gladys whacked Tyrone with her purse while they sat on a park bench, the two have fallen in love and become engaged. This episode also takes us to Gladys' wedding shower.
Disc two starts out with the December 1, 1969 episode. The featured guest is singer Englebert Humperdink - a man whose name practically preordained his Laugh-In appearance. How could the show resist a guest named Englebert Humperdink? This episode also features cameos by Jill St. John, Johnny Carson, Jack Benny, Peter Lawford, and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
The next episode originally aired on March 9, 1970. The episode's main guest is Milton Berle, but Andy Williams, Jill St. John, Edgar Bergen (with Mortimer Snerd), Mickey Rooney, Nancy Sinatra, and Buddy Hackett (with his son) also put in appearances. This episode's Farkel Family sketch is excruciatingly funny. Continuing the story of March 2's episode, viewers are taken to Tyrone Horneigh's stag party.
The September 23, 1968 episode leads off disc three. Our Miss Brooks' Eve Arden is the featured guest, while Arlene Dahl, Herb Alpert, Zsa Zsa Gabor (who apparently lived in the studio), Sonny Tufts (helpfully sitting in a chair inscribed with his name), Jack Lemmon, and Patrick and John Wayne. The disc wraps up with the February 8, 1971 episode featuring Dinah Shore. Truman Capote, Herschel Bernardi, and Peter Lawford also appear. While both contain typical Laugh-In humor, neither have particularly memorable moments.
Because of the nature of the show, it probably isn't necessary to have complete season sets of Laugh-In, but looking at these discs, one cannot help but wonder how and why particular episodes are being chosen for inclusion in these "Best of" sets. It seems odd to include the episodes that contain Gladys' wedding shower and Tyrone's stag party, for example, but not to include either the episode in which they become engaged or, better yet, the one featuring the end of their wedding storyline. Perhaps there is some reason for this omission, but the result is not very fan-friendly.
