Shut That Door! - Larry Grayson At ITV (Network U.K. DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C Extras: C+ Main Episodes: C+
PLEASE
NOTE: This
DVD set can only be operated on machines capable of playing back DVDs that can
handle Region Two/2/PAL format software and can be ordered from our friends at
Network U.K. at the website address provided at the end of the review or at
finer retailers.
Though
only one full episode survives, Network U.K. has issued a 3-DVD set entitled Shut That Door! - Larry Grayson At ITV and
it showcases the very popular (and almost openly gay, if you got the disguised
jokes and comments) lite music performer who had several hit TV shows in his
time. As a result, the two full seasons
of The Larry Grayson Show are included on DVDs 2 & 3 respectively so all
interested can see him in action and in his glory.
DVD One
has his early appearances on Saturday
Variety (1972) in compilation, that single Shut That Door!, a few installments of The Larry Grayson Hour of Stars and three behind-the-scenes/career
of the man (Anglia News interview - 02/07/73, At Home With Larry Grayson
documentary and The Unforgettable... Larry Grayson) giving a serious
retrospective of the man. Even when the
material is tired or flat, he is not and all at best amount to a series of camp
classics, though the shows are always intelligent and made for intelligent
viewers. It’s just that they are either
very laid back, elderly or homosexual, but is historic and has received an
appropriate release.
The 1.33
X 1 image is soft throughout, all from PAL analog video, including 16mm-shot
footage only surviving in older PAL formats.
Besides all the lost material, what was stored has aged more than it
should. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is
also a few generations down, compressed and shows its age. Be careful of volume playback and
switching. Extras include Larry Grayson at the London Palladium
on DVD Two and an image gallery on DVD Three, but we will also include the
documentary clips as extras.
As noted above, you can order this PAL DVD import
exclusively from Network U.K. at:
http://www.networkdvd.net/
or
www.networkdvd.co.uk
- Nicholas Sheffo
