One of the most innocuous TV talk show hosts of his time, Mike Douglas helmed a daytime talk show that originally aired in syndication from 1961 to 1982. Moments and Memories compiles a healthy collection of show clips, featuring such bold-faced names of the era as Billie Jean King, Kiss, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali and John & Yoko. The talking-head moments are provided by friends, collaborators and family members, including Genevieve, Douglas’ wife for more than 60 years. Clocking in at just under two hours, it’s a relatively short collection, and there’s certainly enough material to issue a much more expansive compendium of Douglas’ titular moments and memories, but this one will work fine for starters.
Shelf Talk: This show aired on PBS March 1 with very little advance fanfare, and it could slip by those who are most interested. Be sure to talk it up to classic TV and talk show fans and those who have gravitated toward the Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin and Dick Cavett compilations that been released in the past couple of years.
Variety, color and B&W, NR (nothing offensive), 115 min., DVD $19.99© 2009, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.