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This TV-on-DVD set may not look or sound great, but Steve Martin in his prime trumps lackluster production quality every day of the week....
Shout! Factory / 390 Minutes / 1966-2005 / Unrated / Street Date: September 18, 2012
Steve Martin. In a dress. Riding a giant turtle. What's the big deal?
One of the single greatest comedic talents of our time, Steve Martin when he's unhinged is a force of nature. So many viewers have defaulted to appreciating his reserved performances in movies like Father of the Bride or even Parenthood, but if there's anything that this Television Stuff DVD collection proves, it's that when Steve Martin decides to go for it, he does so with full gusto. Whether it's in the form of quickie SNL vignettes or full stand-up specials - both of which are included here - at one point or another the guy gives the impression of throwing caution to the wind and blasts into the kind of zany, outrageous material that has made him famous.
It's further proof that Martin is truly one of our greatest (and misunderstood) talents. Having spent much of the last decade cultivating a museum-caliber art collection, writing plays and novels, and performing with a Grammy-winning bluegrass band, the ability to return to the man's comic roots with this Steve Martin: The Television Stuff box set is a seriously rewarding treat. Not every moment of this nearly 400-minute-long compilation is guaranteed to deliver laughs, but most of it absolutely does.
And again, at one point the guy rides a giant turtle in drag. Now that's comedy.