This Is Your Life - The Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1 (1952)

Nostalgic

What a wonderful collection of This is Your Life. I wish another would be made so we could see more celebraties. Really takes you back to the good ole' days of TV. If you like nostalgia, this DVD is great and is enjoyable to see over and over again. June 15, 2008

These are lovely interviews.

There was a time when television presented celebrities in a more positive light than we see now, and these shows hosted by Ralph Edwards treated viewers to rare insights into some of their favorite stars' lives. When you see how sweet Boris Karloff is, and learn how much Lou Costello donated to charities quietly, well, it made me miss those seemingly charming days when people treated each other with more kindness. I was delighted when I saw they were available on DVD and I can say that I will enjoy them over and over again. I hope you will, too. December 25, 2007

WHERE'S VOLUME 2?

It's been over 3 years since this set was released and no more are forthcoming? I remember watching a series of these when American Movie Classics was a great channel to watch (instead of the commercial-filled crap of movies from the 1970's and 80's it's morphed into) and seeing Jeanette MacDonald, Dorothy Lamour, Victor MacLaglen and Dore Shary to name a few. Release some more Volumes, please! July 31, 2007

This is Your Life

What a great collection, spanning the 50's through the 70's . Rare glimpse at celebrities being themselves which was rare (pre reality genre). I would love to purchase subsequent collections. April 10, 2007

A sense of immediacy

Ralph Edwards dates back to the days of radio and the original Truth or Consequences show in the 40s. A segment from that show after WWII led to This is your Life on radio followed in the early 50s by the tv series that ran regularly for a decade and then sporadically for about 20 more years as specials.
Edward was always a little cornball, and "Gosh, gee whiz, boy!" for my taste, but his researchers and producers delivered with a product that stands the test of time in revealing the true personalities and hardships of celebrities from all walks of life.
You cannot find this kind of immediacy in biographical story telling anywhere today, even in the wonderful A& E bios or the less woderful, PR driven bios on E! TV. Where else can you see Roy Rogers, the hero of millions of kids, tear up when he sees the old Dodge pickup that brought him to Hollywood in the depths of the depression!
Or the depth of feeling and high regard that people tyhroughout the industry hold for Betty White. But the real gems are the ones like Jesse Owens, or the survivor of a Nazi death camp. . . the lesser known people - the unknown people - who can inspire us with their immediate attachment to history.

My one concern is that with the passing of Edwards recently, that Volume One may also be the last volume of these shows. If that is the case, a teaching tool and an inspirational tool will be lost to many who might not otherwise make this kind of connection to greatness. March 27, 2006

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