Robert Klein: The HBO Specials 1975-2005

Robert Klein is a comedic genius! He is the funniest comedian, terrific musician (harmonica), and singer of all time! He is so multi talented and what blew me away was seeing and hearing him play Beethoven on his harmonica! Every one of these DVDs is a real treat! This is a really cool packaged DVD set and each DVD has on the top of it a photo of Robert and the date of the HBO Special. What was a surprise was Robert showing the HBO viewers on a screen him on The Ted Mack Amatuer hour at age 15 singing Sunday Kind of Love with The Teen Tones! Then, it appeared the Teen Tones, Roberts age, were on the screen and Robert was singing with them. Wow!!There are numerous funny and entertaining moments but the one I remember most is when Robert sang the song that had some terrific lyrics called "I Want To Know". I was laughing so hard I couldn't stop:) His gesticulation, facial expressions, voice inflections, and command of the stage is awesome! The orchestra (Bob Stein) and backup singers are awesome, too!I love "My Leg Can't Stop Shaking!" It's a classic! With Bob Stein, the orchestra, and dancers backing him up makes it even more awesome to watch! His most recent special for HBO, “Robert Klein: Unfair and Unbalanced” aired on June 12th, 2010. This special earned him a second Emmy nomination in 2011 for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. He also was nominated for a Grammy as an actor, singer and comedian. His harmonica playing is phenomenal!!Robert has worked with the best including his comedic pal Rodney Dangerfield whose famous line is "I tell you I get no respect" as he tugs at his collar and tie. The sailing trip he had with Rodney was hilarious:) And Robert does a spot on inpression of Rodney.There is a surprise bonus feature at the very end of the last DVD with the late Alan Colmes interviewing Robert! It's like watching the credits at the end of a movie and viewers get a special bonus clip! The interview is up close and personal. Robert wants to be funny, funny, funny, clever, and on his terms make people laugh. Unquestionably he does and is the best of the best!My only regret is that I waited too long to order Robert's DVD Collection. I now have "TOJ" - Tingles of Joy and with great pleasure and TOJ adding it to my DVD Collection and will viewing it for many more years.Robert is still entertaining and I hope more DVDs and books are forthcoming. I thouroughly enjoyed his book The Amorous Busboy of Decanter Avenue - A Child of the 50s Looks Back. One day I hope to get it signed. If you have a Kindle you can Look Inside and also get a Free Sample.Hey Robert - Thank you for the entertainment, joy, and laughter! I wish you and your family continued happiness, health, success, and blessings:)Please keep em coming! Thank you. Your fan!

If you know Robert Klein, and you want to get some fabulous performances, this is what you're looking for. It's almost all here, as funny and crisp as Day 1, and spanning years of his work. You get a great overview of him and his evolution as a comic. If time permitted, I'd go out, get some easy-sleazy food, and just hunker down and watch the whole production start to finish- a great project, or lost weekend!If you're not as familiar with Klein, this is a chance to see a master at work. His incisive observations about human behavior, corporate entities, and a slew of other stuff is top notch. He's great at spotting and giving voice to things everyone knows but no one talks about. It's cool too that he comes at you working on the assumption that you are a thinking individual. I'm no prude (love Kinison), and have no issues with blue language, but it's a bonus that Klein's creativity permits him to work without it. There's nothing gratuitous here, no running down of other people, no perjoratives or cusses, yet he's no goody-goody with a delightfully evil and nimble mind. Watching him, you'll see the basis for many of today's stand-ups. You go away thinking you'd love to have him over some time or as a friend.My only regret is that Robert Klein and George Carlin couldn't have a child together. That'd be an amazing kid, but who'd be able to raise it?

I liked "Child of the 50's, Man of the 80's" best! All the videos after "Child of the 50's" in his later performances were also good! I liked the jokes on "Robert Klein on Broadway", but I did not like the song that he sang. His commentaries on the world and his personal life are done well in his songs. It takes awhile to watch all of the DVDs, but the whole series is definitely worth the money!

Wow, I'm sure glad this set was released. I've always loved Robert Klein, and bought his "Child of the 50's" CD about fifteen years ago. I'd only seen two of his HBO specials from the 80's (we couldn't afford HBO in the 70's and early 80's), but I'd always remembered them well. For some reason Robert Klein hasn't remained in the public consciousness the way George Carlin has, but I think of them as similar (and both very funny). This collection is really a smokin' deal, considering that it's over 8 hours of material and most of it was never released before, even on VHS.This collection would be even better if it included his comedy CD's, some of which are out of print. But that's a minor complaint. For the money, this collection is a steal.

I got the pack and the top corner was all crumpled, then when I opened it, 2 of the 3 plastic things that held the DVD's in place were broken.While I am a collector of comedy DVD's, I decided that the month turn around in getting a new one wasn't worth it - the DVD collection itself is great. I am powering through the specials.If you haven't seen "I Can't Stop My Leg" it is genius and I love that he calls back to it. You can see why Klein is so highly regarded among the current top shelf of comics - Seinfeld and that crew.While the jokes themselves aren't always strong, it is his delivery and his theatricality and intelligence as a performer that make him a stand-out stand-up for all to admire.

So he suggested I get this DVD set as the specials aren't available for streaming online which is a shame since this comedian has had such far reaching influence on comedians and comics.

I've been a Robert Klein fan for years, so it's sad to see that he's declined from an irreverent, witty, bright and funny comedian into an unfunny, politically correct, liberal mouthpiece. Still, the collection is worth buying for the first 3 discs.

Bought as a present and was a great gift!