The Best of Dave Allen [DVD] (2005)

Brilliantly funny 'best of' clips & takes from a catalogue of VERY funny jokes.A master of his craft. Don't miss it.

Very Good Dvd Really Liked It

I became a fan of Dave Allen when his series DAVE ALLEN AT LARGE was shown on one of our local independent television channels, WSBK-TV38 in Boston. He was much funnier and more clever than Benny Hill, whose series was being shown on a competing channel. As a Catholic, I wasn't offended at all by Allen's religious humor and got quite a laugh over his Pope skits, and I loved his brief DR. WHO skit, which unfortunately is not on this DVD. I'm glad this DVD has been released of a previous VHS tape, because I cannot play PAL tapes, but I can play PAL DVDs! Can we request a sequel? There are still many funny Dave Allen stories and skits to be seen!

I'm always a bit wary of `Best of' DVDs as they invariably fall into the same trap of having the most popular as opposed to the best. But in the absence of any complete collection of Dave Allen then this will have to do.It's not that I don't like the finished product. I really enjoyed the clips on offer and for a fiver it's decent value for money. You get a flavour of the style and irreverence that made Dave Allen worth watching and there is an evenly balanced mix of the stand ups and sketches that made the show so successful in the 70s and 80s. It is inevitable that some of the material has dated somewhat, but it is not as un-PC as you would come to expect. In fact, save for one moment where a comedy explosion has left the victims covered in soot which leads to a Black & White Minstrels routine of sorts, it's not in the least bit offensive. Even the thorny subject of religion was treated with a good balance of satire and gentle humour.I've been a fan of Allen's style for as long as I could remember - He was such a natural raconteur, genial one minute, rabid the next but always fascinating to watch. For those who have never seen him perform, this is recommended as it stands above most shows broadcast during this period.However, my only gripe (and it is a minor one) is that you only hear him say his customary goodbye `may your God go with you' at the end in his latter years as he is sat a mixing desk looking back over his own archives which lacked the cutting edge and broodiness of his earlier performances. Even the absolutely fantastic theme tune isn't played until the end and it is poorly edited.So to sum up, it's a good intro to a great performer and good value for a fiver. Let's hope that the BBC see fit (or even get Network DVD to acquire the licence) to release a more comprehensive retrospective of Dave Allen's work. It's sad he is no longer with us, it would be even more sad if his legacy remained overlooked.

Good funny

Having watched Dave Allen live on TV, I was really pleased to spot this DVD. When I watched it, I realised that those days were truly the golden years for comedy. When you could make jokes without fear of "offending" professional complainers.

.A good compilation.

I enjoyed this but it wasn't his best material. A lot of short sketches rather than the long monologues. It was good for the low price but I hope they will put the monologues on dvd.

Nothing like this around anymore. Such a great comedian.

Classic comedy from this comedian

An outstanding Irish storyteller for so many years on television with his own shows-this compendium of possibly some of his best witticisms will have you in fits of laughter.Fully recommend it.

It took days to load on my dvd player,but eventually it worked. Good sound & picture quality. Arrived secured & safe. 4 stars because of the trouble trying to load my purchase to my dvd machine!

Dave Allen rappresenta per me l'apice dell'umorismo inglese, anzi irlandese, avendolo apprezzato in televisione quando vivevo in nord America lo rigusto ora in Dvd a distanza di anni.