hungry i Reunion - Mort Sahl, Jonathan Winters (1981)

San Francisco's world famous nightclub provides the setting for this 1980 reunion of the stars who made their debut there. During the 1950s and 1960s, San Francisco's hungry i nightclub was the main breeding ground for rising comedy talent. The hungry i reunion features interviews with comedy greats including Bill Cosby and Phyllis Diller and star-studded performances of classic comic monologues from Mort Sahl, Jonathan Winters, Ronnie Schell, Jackie Vernon and the incomparable Professor Irwin Corey. The show also features rare footage of the legendary Lenny Bruce, in performance. The club was also famous for its folk-singing sessions and two regulars, the Kingston Trio and the Limeliters are on hand to perform some of their classic hits. As a bonus- this special edition DVD includes an entire 30 minute, never-before-seen performance by the revolutionary Mort Sahl, live at the hungry i.

ok, but should be re-titled

I bought this DVD because it was advertised as featuring Lenny Bruce and Jonathan Winters. The entire Bruce segment is about 60 seconds, and is lifted from the early 60s show that is available in its entirety elsewhere. The clip is too short, out of context, and definitely not representative of his material....certainly not a good reason to put his name on this DVD.

The Jonathan Winters segment is at the very end, and he's in great form, although the clip is also short; maybe a few minutes. The Jackie Vernon clip is also entertaining.

The DVD has lots of Mort Sahl footage, discussion about Mort Sahl, and a bonus clip of Mort Sahl. This DVD would have been better named "Mort Sahl and the Hungry I". If you like old folk songs and Mort Sahl, you'll like this. For fans of Enrico, this is a good chance to see him talking alot about the club and era.

For Lenny Bruce fans, get the "Lenny Bruce Performance Film" instead.
February 17, 2007

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