Loa BSL | 14 HOOTCHIE COO: Irene Ryan as Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies some home movies of Jerry Garcia’s 1964 bluegrass band and shots of the Dead’s 1978 visit to Egypt. For completists, there’s a song by late keyboardist Brent Mydland and a black-and-white studio rendition of the Bob Dylan classic “She Belongs to Me.” The remainder is just indifferent footage from a couple of the band’s trademarked psychedelically sloppy live performances, none particularly compelling (in fact, watch- ing another late keyboardist, Pigpen, man- gle “Hard to Handle” makes you appreci- ate the Black Crowes). Fans of the group may find this video compendium engag- ing—but they're not called Deadheads for nothing. C+ —Steve Simels Vintage TV THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan (1962-70, CBS, four tapes, $12.98 each) Reviled by the likes of Hello, Larry and Three's Com- pany, The Beverly Hillbillies feels z ingly relevant to our post-1980s hangover. ‘A genial sitcom about a backwoodsman who stumbles onto oil riches and moves his who had yet to see jarm- kinfolk to Californy, the show transcended its hokey premise by spinning fa about honesty and virtue winning out over y tales NOVEMBER 6, 1992 greed and calculation. Avoiding mawkishness and preachiness, the show eschewed Capra- esque sentimentality for toned-down farce, with comic misunderstand- ings, occasionally over- cute visual gags, and genuinely inspired ver- bal exchanges. The choice of episodes in this collection could be better, however—half of the vol- umes take the Clampett family out of Beverly Hills and into Washing- ton, D.C. (Volwme 2), and New York City (Volume 8). But even in these fish- out-of-water-once-re- moved half hours, the family’s guilelessness can still shame a con artist (guest star Phil Sil- vers in Volume 2) into doing the right thing. The Clampetts come across as the noble fools of comedy arche- type—neither they nor their show are as simple as they seem. B+ —Frank Lovece Laserdisc THE BUSBY BERKELEY DISC Ruby Keeler, Al Jolson (1992 compilation, MGMIUA, $39.98, unrated, B&W) The musieal-production numbers created by Busby Berkeley in the 1930s are works of gaga movie tha dise-only release compiles 22 of his best, in- cluding several numbers—notable for near- nudity and risqué material—that were filmed before the Production Code censors realism still astound. This extraordinary laser- clamped down in 1934. Technical innovations abound, from violins outlined by then-new neon tubes (“Shadow Waltz”) to strategical- ly placed mirrors that create the impression of thousands of dancers performing (“Don’t Say Goodnight”). The disc includes Berke- ley’s own favorite, “Lullaby of Broadway,” which features the most massive tap dance ever filmed. Yes, this disc has lots of Berke- ley’s loopy geometric patterns shot from el- evated camera angles—and yes, there are numerous kitschy touches. But also on dis- play are cinematic ingeniousness and a timel ss sense of fun. A —Roy Hemming