Robin Williams: Comic Genius boxset spans his career

DVD Reviews, Reviews

When Robin Williams appeared as Mork on Happy Days, he became a force of nature from another planet. Shortly after he received his own Mork and Mindy TV series, his album Reality What A Concept came out. The comedy record was also a whirlwind where half the time things didn’t make sense because there was no telling what he was doing on stage. Those of us unfortunate to have parents that didn’t believe in HBO except on “free weekend,” had no clue that the performance was recorded from his HBO Special. And those of us who only knew him as that kooky alien had parents that freaked out when they discovered your little brother heard the record and decided to repeat the jokes for their grandmother. While Robin Williams went on to fame and Oscar love in cinema, he understood that TV was the ultimate place for him to release whether it be on The Tonight Show or the charity effort Comic Relief. Now so much of his time on your TV set has been brought together on Robin Williams: Comic Genius. So much of his career is captured on 22 DVDs in the boxset. Here’s the press release from Time Life:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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“You know that cartoon, that Tasmanian devil that comes out and just spins — he was that, but eloquent and hilarious.” – Billy Crystal
“He was like something waiting to happen…a very powerful anomaly.” – Steve Martin
“Everybody else prepared, Robin was just a natural…and he worked on every level.” – Jay Leno
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LEGENDARY COMEDIAN.
OSCAR-WINNING ACTOR.
THIS SEPTEMBER, JOIN TIME LIFE FOR THE
DEFINITIVE DVD COLLECTION CELEBRATING
THE COMEDY CAREER OF A BELOVED ICON
ROBIN WILLIAMS: COMIC GENIUS

Across 22 DVDs and 50+ Hours, the Electrifying Comic Lights Up the Room in This Ultimate, One-of-a-Kind Compendium Spanning 40 Years on TV, Including All Five HBO Stand-Up Specials Together for the Very First Time, Never-Before-Released Performances and Backstage Footage, Talk Show and Late Night Appearances, Rare Archival Clips, Brand New Interviews Featuring Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Jay Leno, Martin Short, Pam Dawber, Lewis Black, and Zak Williams, a Collectible Memory Book Featuring Archival Photos, Robin’s Tour Notes, and More!
AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY AT
https://timelife.com/products/robin-williams-comic-genius-22-dvd-deluxe-box-set

FAIRFAX, VA (September 25, 2018) – Robin Williams was a generational talent, graced with comedic brilliance, rapid-fire improvisation, and a deep well of warmth and compassion that translated to every role he inhabited. From his breakout role in ABC’s Mork & Mindy to his Academy Award-winning performance in Good Will Hunting, the iconic actor displayed an inimitable artistry that made him beloved by millions. This September, join Time Life, in conjunction with the Trustees of the Robin Williams Trust, in celebrating the incomparable career of the singularly innovative actor with ROBIN WILLIAMS: COMIC GENIUS.

This definitive collection of Williams’ comedy highlights arrives as interest in his life and career increases in the wake of HBO’s critically acclaimed documentary, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind from Emmy Award-winning director Marina Zenovich and Oscar-winning producer Alex Gibney, and Dave Itzkoff’s biography Robin, a New York Times best-seller.
Celebrating the actor’s memorable 40-year career, from his uproarious turn as loveable alien Mork and his legendary HBO stand-up specials to his numerous appearances on late night, this handsome, 22-disc collection, housed in deluxe packaging includes:
• All five HBO stand-up specials together for the very first time, including Off the Wall (1978), An Evening with Robin Williams (1983), An Evening at the MET (1986), Live on Broadway (2002) and Weapons of Self Destruction (2009)
• Never-before-released concert specials, including Robin’s full MGM Grand Garden stand-up from 2007 and the Montreal stop on his last tour, a conversation on stage between Williams and comedian David Steinberg
• Memorable talk show and late night TV appearances on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Graham Norton Show, Saturday Night Live and more
• Rare, never-before-seen clips including early stand-up, raw footage from HBO’s promo shoots, a hilarious toast to Richard Pryor by Robin as Mrs. Doubtfire, and more
• Brand new interviews with close friends and family including Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Jay Leno, Eric Idle, David Steinberg, Lewis Black and Zak Williams
• 11 hilarious episodes of Mork & Mindy, including the two-part pilot!
• James Lipton’s Emmy Award-nominated 90-minute interview with Robin on Inside the Actors Studio, plus deleted scenes
• A comprehensive collection of Robin’s USO shows around the world
• Original and newly created bonus features including behind-the-scenes footage, local highlights from tour stops, promos and more. Featurettes include: The Early Years, San Francisco: Where It All Started, Comic Genius, and TV’s Best Guest
• Critically acclaimed 2018 HBO documentary, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind from Emmy Award-winning director Marina Zenovich and Oscar-winning producer Alex Gibney.
• “Robin Williams: Uncensored”, a collectible 24-page, full-color memory book featuring rare, archival photos from award-winning photographer Arthur Grace, reminiscences from friends and colleagues, Robin’s personal tour notes and more.
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Uncensored, electric, intense and unfailingly hilarious, Williams made it his life’s work to make people laugh–whether he was holding forth on culture, politics, the human body or drugs–with razor-sharp wit and insight. As his long-time friend Billy Crystal said, “In the 40 odd years he was in front of us, especially on television, he never let you down. He was always funny, he always did something new.” And, in unforgettable ways, ROBIN WILLIAMS: COMIC GENIUS reveals and celebrates the wide range of his incredible talents like never before.
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About Time Life:
Time Life is one of the world’s pre-eminent creators and direct marketers of unique music and video/DVD products, specializing in distinctive multi-media collections that evoke memories of yesterday, capture the spirit of today, and can be enjoyed for a lifetime. TIME LIFE and the TIME LIFE logo are registered trademarks of Time Warner Inc. and affiliated companies used under license by Direct Holdings Americas Inc., which is not affiliated with Time Warner Inc. or Time Inc.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.