The Best of the Andy Williams Show
Now the king of Branson, Missouri, Andy Williams ruled the TV airwaves  in the early 1960s, and this compendium of musical numbers culled from the  show's archives features some surprisingly astute musical moments. Among others,  Williams performs with Bobby Darin, Pearl Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby,  Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Of course  the catch is that to see all of these stars at the peak of their powers, you  have to watch them performing with Williams. This will allow you to marvel at  how it was that an inveterate WASP, who looked like a clean-cut insurance  salesman and sounded like a white-bread Perry Como (if that was possible),  became a huge star in the 1960s. It will also give you a glimpse at examples of  the now long-gone TV variety format of yesteryear, in which an easy-going host  welcomed guest stars weekly to sing pop songs of the day and do skits (catch  Judy Garland teaching Andy how to apply clown makeup in pantomime).--Marshall Fine