Robin Williams is one of a kind, and a talent that the world is sorely missing in this period of history where we could all use a lot more laughing. For fans of his—and anyone who appreciates the humor end of the entertainment spectrum—Time-Life has a release that is stunning, brilliant and a must-have of the highest order. It is, without a doubt, a fantastic gift for the comedy or Williams fan on your list.
Robin Williams Comic Genius is a 22 DVD set featuring 50-plus hours of Williams at his finest as it looks at a myriad of moments from his award-winning career. The collection spans four decades of Williams’ appearances on television—including all of his HBO stand-up specials, his late-night talk show appearances that are the stuff of legend, the two-part pilot and first 11 episodes of the show that put Williams on the pop culture map, Mork and Mindy. There is much more that is included that I will chronicle below, but that is just a taste of the brilliance that Time-Life has managed to capture.
What is so astounding is that this does not even include his celebrated film work. That is why there is such a gaping hole in popular culture since Williams took his own life back in August of 2014.
Making Robin Williams Comic Genius so special is the insight delivered with brand-new interviews with his Comic Relief co-host and friend Billy Crystal, comedy icon Steve Martin, late night host Jay Leno and his good friend Martin Shor. Also talking up the wizardry of Williams is his Mork and Mindy co-star Pam Dawber, Monty Python founder Eric Idle, comedian and social commentary stalwart Lewis Black and the legend’s son, Zak Williams.
I commenced the treasured treat that is experiencing this set with the HBO specials. I’ve seen them all before, but it has been years and witnessing them once more is striking. Williams had many, many gifts in the entertainment department. If there was one thing that stands above all the other
As anyone who has followed his career knows, something was extraordinary about his brain. For starters, in the live show landscape, there was nobody that could process information, stimuli, responses from the audience and events of the day as quickly and as entertainingly as Williams. His insight too, is timeless. During these HBO stand-up shows he makes observations about George W. Bush, 9/11 and the war in Iraq that could easily be seen as comedic commentary on the headlines of today. Many of those remarks are part of his stream of consciousness/riffs that you know were not part of the scripted portion of his show. Those are even timely and timeless. That is an unreal gift and one that is sorely missing when looking out over the entertainment landscape of 2018.
The quintet of HBO stand-up specials is offered collectively for the first time in one set. That alone would make this Time Life video tribute to Williams a must-own. They also run the gamut as they serve as a comedic chronicle of different periods of his career, such as 1978’s Off the Wall, 1983’s An Evening with Robin Williams, 1986’s An Evening at the MET, 2002’s Live on Broadway (2002) and 2009’s Weapons of Self Destruction.
After those comedy specials, next up was the Emmy Award winning episode of Inside the Actor’s Studio episode that featured host James Lipton’s insightful and delightful questions for the entertainment superstar. Is anyone surprised that it even takes almost 10 minutes to get through the introduction of Williams due to his ability to riff freeform responding to each single thing that Lipton says about him. It is uncanny. He has the audience (which is comprised of students of the famed Actor’s Studio) in the palm of his hands, having them alternate from fall out of your chair laughter to hanging on every word that Williams utters. Sure, it’s a learning experience for all those thespians, but this is something even more. They know, and we are keenly aware, that his once in a lifetime talent is essentially giving a masterclass in the art of everything. Scratch that, Williams is not just once-in-a-lifetime, his talent and what he did with it was once in a millennium.
It is also easy to see why this 90-minute special episode scored an Emmy Award for Bravo. If there was a single episode of the Lipton hosted classic to put in a vault for future generations to discover what the mission and purpose of the show was, it was witnessing Lipton and Williams explore his mind and everything that made it tick.
Williams was one who appreciated the service of our men and women in uniform, something that began after starring in Good Morning Vietnam! He spent countless hours volunteering for USO tours that entertained tens of thousands of our nation’s finest. Several of those shows are captured for this set, but the stand-out for me must be Robin’s USO Christmas. His connection with those in the military is instantaneous and an utterly beautiful thing to behold. He had a way of connecting with people across a varied spectrum. One minute, he could be performing at The Met in NYC and the next he’s in front of Marines in Afghanistan. The material is similar, the delivery is also classic Williams, yet he is a gifted performer who knew how to read a room and as such, the way he interacted with soldiers on this USO Christmas special is priceless. One can tell immediately and with each passing moment of the special that this was a highlight for these brave men and women of the highest order.
Another sensational spoke in the wheel of awesomeness that is this Time Life set is its inclusion of Williams’ appearances on Saturday Night Live. For those who have missed those iconic television moments, it is such a treasure witnessing him working alongside other improv and sketch comic pros in an environment that is about as rich as they come for creative comedic intelligence. The three episodes, from 1984, 1986 and 1988, are just further examples of the insane national treasure that is Robin Williams. These are moments that will want to be revisited, time and time again.
Some of Williams’ incredible visits to talk shows are also highlights of this set. One standout must be the time he visited the Queen of all Media, Ms. Oprah Winfrey. It’s fascinating to see him with different talk show hosts and how the questioner brings out a different response from Williams—all of which are still heartwarmingly hilarious. With Winfrey, Williams has a chemistry with the iconic host that is beyond compelling and of course, hilarious.
His visits with Leno are also unique in that witnessing Williams on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is a much different animal that say his turn on Winfrey’s couch. Again, the man is a genius of the highest order and seeing him meld to the landscape of each forum for him to showcase his talents only adds fuel to the fire that is the idea that we will never see anyone of his kind ever again.
The touching, insightful, entertaining, enthralling and enlightening HBO documentary, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind is a lasting and legendary tribute to a comedic force of nature gone too soon. HBO, a longtime home for all-things Robin Williams, could not have been a better landing for a doc about the man, the myth, and yes, the legend that is Williams. It too is another feature that could be seen again and again because things are picked up that might have been missed on previous viewings. That’s the thing about Williams, often times the laugh emitted is so loud you miss a follow-up laugh that might be even more hilarious. The same thing could be true for quieter moments that come up in this HBO doc. Its name is also quite apt: Come Inside My Mind. After all, that mind works like no one who has come before, or anyone who came after. Getting inside it is a delightful place to be for a few hours.
I absolutely cherish the inclusion of Robin Williams: Uncensored. It is a collectible 24-page, full-color book that features rare, archival photos from famed photog Arthur Grace, and includes thoughts from Williams’ closest friends and fellow entertainment icons. Also a treat… Williams’ personal tour notes!
These reflections are just the tip of the iceberg that is this set that, entertainment and historically, are priceless. It is available exclusively at RobinWilliams.com and as I stated earlier, could not be a more perfect gift for the Williams, comedy, pop culture or entertainment appreciator on your list.
One thing is for certain—Time Life could not have chosen a better moniker for this set. It’s simple. It’s to the point. It’s accurate and impeccable. Four more truer words have never been spoken: Robin Williams Comic Genius. End of story.
Full Set Grade: A+