This is Your Life: The Ultimate Collection, Volume 1

This mix of 18 episodes from the long-running TV favorite (off and on from 1952-1984) will be a nostalgic treat for those who recall the series and a wonderful surprise for those who've never heard of Ralph Edwards or seen his beloved biography-tribute-reunion program. The subject lineup is, not surprisingly, skewered heavily towards the entertainment field with a shower of stars from movies (Bette Davis, Roy Rogers, Vincent Price, Jayne Mansfield, and Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in their only television appearance), TV (Dick Clark, Betty White, Milton Berle), and music (The Carpenters, Johnny Cash, Bobby Darin). But the real gems here are the episodes honoring ordinary people who achieved the extraordinary: Olympic athletes Jesse Owens and Duke Kahanamoku (both gentlemen exhibit a sense of humility and sincerity mostly absent from today's sports stars), World War II hero Rear Admiral Samuel G. Fuqua, and Holocaust survivor Hanna Bloch Kohner. Kohner's life tribute is the most poignant, capped by a reunion with her brother (whom she had not seen since the Nazi occupation of their native Czechoslovakia), as well as one of the American soldiers who liberated her from a concentration camp. The episode is also of historic importance, as it is believed to be the first time that American non-news television ever focused on the Nazi persecution and extermination of Europe's Jews. Handsomely remastered and featuring postscripts on the lives of each subject, DVD extras on this triple-disc set include introductions by Ralph Edwards, rare behind-the-scenes photos, never before seen memorabilia, and a 32-page collector's booklet. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (P. Hall)