No Time for Sergeants Review

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(More customer reviews)Hands down one of the funniest movies ever made. Add my voice to the long and growing list of those calling for this comedy masterpiece to be released on DVD. To the powers that be: We're waiting...!

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Charlie Chaplin: Great Dictator (1940) Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the greatest satires ever filmed and Chaplin's most fully realized comedy. A beautiful blend of the usual Chaplin slapstick and pathos along with a very effective social and political commentary. Charlie is Adenoid Hynckle, dictator of an only slightly fictional country of Tomania. He also plays a Jewish ghetto barber. Both are played with such impeccable accuracy that to distinguish between them is extremely easy.Names are changed but this film is still the most effective film of Nazi Germany and Hitler's thankfully aborted attempt to take over the world. Chaplin's script never gets too preachy at least without an equal dose of satire. His approach is to make people laugh while teaching them at the same time. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his final monologue. After a predictable mistaken identity episode, Chaplin as the unnamed Jewish barber speaks of the horrors of Nazism. This climazes what may be the greatest performance in the history of comedy films. The greatest because it does more than simply make us laugh-it makes us think. The film earned Chaplin well deserved Oscar nominations for BestPicture, Screenplay and Actor. This is a film you must see.

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Canadian Bacon (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)Canadian Bacon is Moore's only non-documentary. It is still a scathing attack on US presidential politics. It was made during the Clinton administration (and republican critisism of Moore was notably absent), but does well apply to the present situation. I just hope Moore's prophesies turn in!
There are some absolutley hilarious moments like when the 'invaders' have to paint there anti-Canadian grafitti in both French and English, or (my favourite) when they only know the first line of 'Born in the USA.'
This film deserves more attention.

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"Surrender pronto, or we'll level Toronto!" Writer/director Michael Moore (Roger and Me) serves up a "delightfully ludicrous" (Sight and Sound) political send-up brimming with madcap hilarity and side-splitting slapstick! Starring legendary funnyman John Candy, as well as Rhea Perlman, Alan Alda, Kevin Pollak, Rip Torn and Steven Wright, Canadian Bacon is one "funny, acidic satire" (Variety)! Faced with sagging approval ratings and disgruntled arms manufacturers, the U.S. President (Alda) decides to cook up a new Cold War with Canada! And after a flood ofmedia propaganda, Americans waste no time in "patriotically" burning their ice skates and swearing off maple syrup. But when bumbling U.S. sheriff Boomer (Candy) and his hair-trigger deputy Honey (Perlman) decide to take matters into their own hands and lead a preemptive strike, they soon find themselves embroiled in a hilarious international incident that's too close for comfort, eh!

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Abbott & Costello Show - 100th Anniversary Collection Season 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)I know a lot of people prefer the episodes of Season One to those of Season Two and I think I miss some of the "stock company" that didn't return for Season Two, but there are still laughs to be had in Season Two and, of course, the rapport between Bud and Lou remains unshakable. Since the show only lasted two seasons, this completes the set. As with the Season One package, the generous Bonus Features are astonishing. The candid interviews with Chris and Paddy Costello cover a lot of subjects not contained in the Season One interviews, like goofing around on the Universal lot when they were kids, the Bud/Lou chemistry, their breakup, home life, etc. And, as before, amazing home movies - some sound, most color - from the '40s and '50s. Lou Costello's love for his family is palpable in the footage of his kids' birthday parties over the years. It's truly a rare glimpse into a legendary star's family life, away from the (studio) cameras.

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Is Who still on first if it's the second season? You'll find out with this rare and riotous collection honoring the 100th birthday of Lou Costello and featuring the landmark Abbott & Costello Show that Jerry Seinfeld calls the inspiration for his own hit series! This remarkable 5-disc collection contains all 26 episodes of the second - and final - season (1953-1954), complete and unedited, digitally remastered, looking and sounding better than ever. PLUS: Never-before-seen home movies of Lou Costello and his family from the 1940s and '50s - many in full color with sound! (Even Bud manages to make a few "guest appearances.") To round things out, Lou's daughters, Paddy and Chris, share warm and wonderful anecdotes about their father in exclusive interviews. A treasure for Abbott & Costello fans everywhere! DISC ONE The Paperhangers - Mr. Fields forces the boys to hang wallpaper to help pay off their rent. Uncle Bozzo's Visit - Lou's uncle, an Italian opera singer, visits, and his singing annoys Mr. Fields. In Society - Bud & Lou are hired to pose as British noblemen at a swanky party. Life Insurance - Mr. Fields demands the boys take out life-insurance policies that name him as beneficiary, but neither can pass the physical. Pest Exterminators - The boys exterminate the ants at a rich lady's house, but she thinks they have killed her aunts. Killer's Wife - A jealous boxer and his sexy wife rent a nearby apartment and Lou is suspected of carrying on with said sexy wife. DISC TWO Cheapskates - The boys accidentally buy a crate of roller skates - which contain ill-gotten gems. South of Dixie - Lou overhears a man and girl rehearsing a Civil War play and thinks the danger is real. Inspired by Buster Keaton's The General. From Bed to Worse - The boys try to win a prize for having the best backyard garden and wind up angering their neighbor. $1000 TV Prize - Lou answers Mr. Fields' phone and inadvertently wins a thousand-dollar prize. Amnesia - When Lou prepares to marry a girl he's only corresponded with, Bud convinces him he has amnesia and has already married a shrew. Efficiency Experts - The boys are hired to help control a man's daughters, who spend too much money. But they end up losing their money in a casino. DISC THREE Car Trouble - Lou wins a car in a contest, but it's a lemon, so they drive to Flint for another. Wife Wanted - Lou tries to marry his old girlfriend so he can inherit $10,000 but she's now dating a jealous wrestler. Uncle From New Jersey - To avoid eviction, the boys convince Fields that Lou has a millionaire uncle. Lou winds up masquerading as his own uncle. Private Eye - Lou takes a correspondence course to become a detective, and then tries to help a girl recover some old bonds. The Tax Return - The IRS accidentally sends Lou a check for a million dollars. He cashes it and is followed by thugs. Public Enemies - When Lou is mistaken for a fellow safecracker, the boys get involved with crooks planning a robbery. DISC FOUR Bank Holdup - The boys are hired as bank guards by two robbers masquerading as Brinks guys. Well Oiled - Lou poses as a millionaire to help Mr. Fields get out of a breach-of-promise suit. The Pigeon - Lou is set up by his sexy neighbor to take the fall for her infidelity, so that Lou is the one who gets killed by her jealous mobster boyfriend. Honeymoon House - Lou, Bud, and Mr. Fields try to build a pre-fab house for Lou's fiancée. Inspired by Buster Keaton's One Week. Fencing Master - Bud volunteers Lou for a science experiment that makes him immune to pain. Beauty Contest Story - The boys judge the Miss Mud Turtle pageant, in which Mr. Fields' niece is a contestant. DISC FIVE Fall Guy - Two men hire Bud and Lou to take their girls out in order to circumvent their father, who doesn't like these guys. Barber Lou - Bud enlists Lou to give him a massage. BONUS FEATURES Interview With Lou Costello's Daughters (Part Two) Lou Costello's Home Movies (Part Two) The Actor's Home (contains Who's On First) Total Running Time: Approx. 800 mins.

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King of Hearts (1967) Review

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(More customer reviews)A fairy tale set in a French town caught between the opposing armies of the First World War, "King of Hearts" has lost none of its beguiling charm in the 35 years since its original release, nor has its message grown stale. Alan Bates shines as Charles Plumpick, a simple private in a Scottish regiment and perhaps the only sane man in the abandoned town. But is his world of war and brutality really any saner than the make-believe world conjured up by the escaped inmates of the town lunatic asylum, the only residents Private Plumpick encounters during his reconaissance? It is a point of view that depends entirely on one's perspective. This whimsical, gentle tale challenges the watcher to reexamine what constitutes true madness, just as the asylum characters force Pvt. Plumpick, having been to his initial discomfort acclaimed as the King of Hearts, to choose which role he prefers: king of the fools or fool for King George V? Broca directs his own screenplay with a deft touch and using a stellar cast of mostly French actors. A very young Genevieve Bujold makes one of her earliest appearances in a major picture. The English subtitles aren't the best I've seen (and unlike the VHS version, are distractingly present even during English dialogue), but far better than the awful English-dubbed version of "King of Hearts" that is sometimes broadcast or sold. (The best subtitles I have ever seen were on a print that circulated around theatres during the 1970s and 1980s, but I've never seen this version used for home video.) The score by Georges Delerue is one of his best.
Quelle Surprise! This DVD version has, without fanfare, at least two entirely new scenes in the film that I have never seen before (and I first saw this in 1977). The first is a lengthier "homily" by Monseigneur Marguerite (aka Bishop Daisy) in the church before Charles' coronation. But the real grabber is an added scene at the very end of the movie that offers a parting glance at the primary players and a final bittersweet twist. Where on earth did this footage come from, and why has it been missing from this film for so long? Does this DVD version offer a "better" ending than the familiar one? It's debateable. But it's certainly intriguing.

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One of the most popular foreign films of all time, playing continuously in some theatres for over five years, King of Hearts is a "bright, lilting, whimsical, lyrical" (Cue) comedy thatcleverly satirizes the absurdity of war with a "message [that is] meaningful and entertaining" (Boxoffice). Bumbling Scottish Private Plumpick (Alan Bates) is sent to a village in the beautiful French countryside during World War I on a suicide mission to detonate explosives set bythe retreating German army. The village, soon to be blown sky-high, has been abandoned by its inhabitantsand replaced with escapees from the local insane asylum. Now, with the mentally challenged running the town, Plumpick is crowned King! But his new title brings him his first horrible decision: to carry out his deadly mission or join the ranks of the blissfully ignorant who know nothing about war. King of Hearts is subtle, visually striking and, in short, the "ultimate display of madness" (Life)!

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Slapstick Encyclopedia (1917) Review

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(More customer reviews)This must have been a labor of love! A collection of over 50 silent comedy shorts, nearly 16 hours of silent comedy! Lots of little jewels here - rare Harold Lloyd, Langdon, Hardy, silent film comediennes, etc. The music is new and appropriate. The booklet is first rate, as is the packaging and artwork. At a dollar a film, you are getting your money's worth especially since many of these are not available on DVD elsewhere. Many of these films I have never heard of and I have been watching silent films for twenty years.I found more than 95% of them to be very entertaining. Some of them are close to a hundred years old and provide a rare glimpse into a world that would have been lost if it was not for the camera. If you love silent films, this is heaven! Occasionally crude, very physical slapstick (which I never got but apparently early immigrant audiences loved) is here but plenty of fun gags, cute visual humor, early "sit com" type humor can also be found here. The title "Slapstick Encyclopedia" is misleading as many of these films are not slapstick, they are early comedy shorts. Some are so sophisticated that I realized that I had underestimated the makers and audience back then. My only beef is that it is hard to navigate. Once you start one of the shorts, you are stuck watching the whole thing - you can't go to a particular scene. If you want a specific scene, you have to watch the whole film. You can easily find a film (there are 8-12 films on each disc) but you can't go to anything speciifc in the film. A minor complaint for the best, most entertaining purchase I have made all year. I definitely got my money's worth - and then some - here. The prints range from excellent to average - nothing is unwatchable. Most are from the Blackhawk series of films. Highly recommended to all silent film lovers!!

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The clowns of the American silent screen bring laughter to a new generation in this wonderful box set, featuring 53 short films from the era's funniest comic talents: Laurel and Hardy, Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Mack Sennett, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon, Will Rogers, Ben Turpin and more. Meticulously prepared for DVD with fresh new musical scores, "Slapstick Encyclopedia" is a unique collection of silent comedy gems.

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McHale's Navy - Season One (1962) Review

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(More customer reviews)Join Lt. Cmndr Quinton McHale and his fun-lovin' squadron of rule-bending goof-offs and gamblers aboard the PT 73 on its award-nominated maiden voyage of 36 episodes in the 45th anniversary release of McHale's Navy - Season One!
Starring the unsinkable talents of Ernest Borgnine (a real-life navy veteran) as skipper McHale, Tim Conway (The Carol Burnett Show) as klutzy Ensign Parker, Carl Ballantine as con man Lester Gruber, Joe Flynn (The Rescuers) as blustery, fun-spoiling Capt. Binghamton, and Bob Hastings as his jittery aide Lt. Carpenter, McHale's Navy is one of television's longer-lasting military comedies (and a classic B&W sitcom favorite of mine), with 138 episodes aired over four seasons (1962-1966).
Digitally restored and remastered by Shout! Factory, McHale's Navy - Season One is a 5-disc (930 min.) set featuring all 36 episodes in Full Frame (1.33:1) video and English mono, plus the following Special Feature: "The Crew Remembers": Shout! Factory hosts a very special 45th anniversary reunion of the crew, including stars Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway, Carl Ballantine, Edson Stroll and Bob Hastings. Here are how the discs will be configured, plus original airdates:
Disc 1:
"An Ensign For McHale" (10/11/1962)
"A Purple Heart For Gruber" (10/18/1962)
"McHale And His Seven Cupids" (10/25/1962)
"PT 73, Where Are You?" (11/1/1962)
"Movies Are Your Best Diversion" (11/8/1962)
"Operation Wedding Party" (11/15/1962)
"Who Do The Voodoo?" (11/22/1962)
Disc 2:
"Three Girls On An Island" (11/29/1962)
"McHale's Paradise Motel" (12/6/1962)
"The Battle Of McHale's Island" (12/20/1962)
"The Day They Captured Santa Claus" (12/27/1962)
"Beauty And The Beast" (1/3/1963)
"The Captain's Mission" (1/10/1963)
"Send Us A Hero" (1/17/1963)
Disc 3:
"The Captain Steals A Cook" (1/24/1963)
"The Ensign Gets A Zero" (1/31/1963)
"The Big Raffle" (2/7/1963)
"One Of Our Engines Is Missing" (2/14/1963)
"The Natives Get Restless" (2/21/1963)
"The Confidence Game" (2/28/1963)
"Six Pounds From Paradise" (3/7/1963)
Disc 4:
"Washing Machine Charlie" (3/14/1963)
"Nippon Nancy Calling" (3/21/1963)
"One Enchanted Weekend" (3/28/1963)
"The Mothers Of PT 73" (4/4/1963)
"H.M.S. 73" (4/11/1963)
"A Wreath For McHale" (4/18/1963)
"Portrait Of A Peerless Leader" (4/25/1963)
"Instant Democracy" (5/2/1963)
Disc 5:
"Camera, Action, Panic" (5/9/1963)
"Alias Captain Binghamton" (5/16/1963)
"Parents Anonymous" (5/23/1963)
"McHale's Millions" (5/30/1963)
"The Hillbillies Of PT 73" (6/6/1963)
"The Monster Of McHale's Island" (6/13/1963)
"Uncle Admiral" (6/27/1963)McHale's Navy - Season One
March 20th!

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From 1962 to 1966,McHale s Navy was the ABC networks must-see comedy series. With an amazing cast, including Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine (Lt. Commander McHale), comic genius Tim Conway (Ensign Parker), the one-of-a-kind comic talent of Joe Flynn (Captain Binghamton) this series remains second only to M*A*S*H as a truly funny military sitcom.Veteran seaman Quinton McHale is commissioned into the Navy Reserve at the start of WWII. He becomes Skipper of the Torpedo Patrol (PT) Boat #73 stationed on the island of Taratupa in the Pacific. Assigned to his command are six free-spirited, good-hearted swabbies who love to have fun. McHale and his men are constant irritants to their base commander, Captain Wallace B. Binghamton. Binghamton is forever trying to find a way to get rid of McHale and his rule-bending crew, while McHale & Co. are forever scheming to keep him from succeeding. Despite their hilarious party-boy shenanigans and utter disregard for Navy regulations, when duty calls, the crew of PT 73 does its job and does it well.With its talented stars, great writing and solid supporting cast, including Gavin McLeod (Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Love Boat), McHale s Navy is classic television at its finest and funniest.Bonus Features:* The Crew Reunion Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway, Carl Ballantine, Bob Hastings and Edson Stroll reunite and share their memories of the show.* A special Colorized episode.

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The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 4: 1943-1945 Review

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(More customer reviews)This set completes the better Curly shorts, towards the end of this set he started suffering mini-strokes and the effects show on screen. But for the most part, Curly is still full of energy!
The 21 shorts are:
1943
They Stooge to Conga (wartime. Moe disguises as Hitler!)
Dizzy Detectives
Spook Louder
Back From The Front (wartime)
Three Little Twerps
Higher Than A Kite (wartime)
I Can Hardly Wait (one of the weaker ones, Curly has a bad tooth)
Dizzy Pilots (wartime)
Phony Express
A Gem Of A Jam
1944
Crash Goes The Hash
Busy Buddies
The Yoke's on Me (wartime stereotypes)
Idle Roomers
Gents Without Cents (features "Niagara Falls" routine)
No Dough Boys (wartime)
1945
Three Pests In A Mess (nice cemetery comedy for Halloween)
Booby Dupes (wartime joke at the end of this non-wartime comedy. Stooges go fishing.)
Idiots Deluxe (first evidence of Curly's mini-strokes & 1st with black title-card)
If a Body Meets a Body
Micro-Phonies (still a classic, even with the mini-stroke)
--A word about Curly's decline:
Curly would go on to film 10 more shorts in the next year, but none of them equaled the quality of these.
Even the last three shorts of this set show the signs of health problems.
In IDIOTS DELUXE the failing health starts to show in Curly's face, but his voice is still stong & energetic.
IF A BODY MEETS A BODY shows the first full signs of a stroke. Not only has Curly's face changed, but his voice has now dropped & speach patterns become more labored. His energy levels have dropped noticably (a body double is used near the end).
MICROPHONIES gives hope for a recovery. Curly still lacks his old energy but he seems enthused and energized with the script. However his voice & face remain the same.
The real devastations will show up in the next set as Curly is unable to finish 1946'S BEER BARREL POLECATS, leaving only half a short filmed and forcing the director to pad out the film with 8 minutes of stock footage from earlier films. I don't know if this health-related sortcut gave Columbia the idea to save money on future Shemp Shorts by using large segments of stock footage, but it is the start of a bad trend at Columbia Short Subjects Department. The future arrival of Shemp forced Columbia to stop this for a while as Curly footage could not fit well in a Shemp film.
Well, more on this when volume 5 comes out.
***STOOGES V.S. STOOGE***
One problem I have with some of the last comedies in this set is the scripts putting stooge against stooge, breaking up the team.
In IDIOTS DELUXE Larry & Curly take Moe to court for beating them up. The short then goes into the story of why Moe did this. The story itself is top form Stooge comedy. I can just imagine the brainstorming session in the story room: "Hey what if the boys get tired of Moe hitting them and take him to court! That would be a new twist."
IF A BODY MEETS A BODY starts on an off note with Larry & Moe getting tired of Curly's foolishness and telling him to leave. A sobbing Curly packs to go when Larry & Moe see a newspaper article announcing the search for a missing heir to a fortune: Curly Q. Link. Suddenly Moe & Larry want Curly to be their friend again & appologize.
I always thought of the Stooges as tight friends, through slap & eye poke. Basically they are one being to me, not three individuals. It is a down note for me to see them fighting against each other, even if it is a story plot device.

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The hilarious slapstick antics of Larry, Moe and Curly are back in digitally re-mastered versions of The Three Stooges shorts originally created from 1943 - 1945. The set includes, in original release order, all 21 complete shorts filmed during these years.In this fourth chronological collection of The Three Stooges, we come to the final years of what has become regarded as the high point in their career - their Golden Age. These 21 digitally remastered shorts from the 1943-1945 era contain some of their best work, including the classic Micro-Phonies (1943) which Curly turns in a brilliant performance as opera diva Senorita Cucaracha. Also included in this collection are two favorites that are so outrageous that television programmers are always hesitant about airing them: They Stooge to Conga(1943) features what is considered one of the most violent scenes ever filmed by the Three Stooges and The Yoke's On Me (1944) is what we today refer to as "politically incorrect" in its portrayal of Japanese soldiers. The Three Stooges Collection Volume 4 is groundbreaking, hilarious and outrageous -- classic entertainment from Larry, Moe, and Curly at the height of their creativity. Don't miss out on the fun!

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Grumpy Old Men/Grumpier Old Men (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)I knew one day Warner Bros. would put these great movies in Widescreen and thus, help me add them to my shelves. But today is not that day! After seeing this advertised as Widescreen on this website and the Warner Home Video website, I was beside myself with glee and anticipation. I went to four different stores in California, and found that each time I went to purchase, the back of the DVD read, Includes full screen version. Confused I bought it anyway. Thinking maybe the back was a mis-print? Or maybe it meant, includes widescreen and full screen. I was wrong... On both counts! So when I contacted Warner Home Video, and nasty Nurse Ratched answered the phone and told me that "If I didn't buy it on their website then what did they care that it was being advertised wrongfully", I knew that these movies would not find a place on my DVD shelves anytime soon.
Buyer beware! This is not only being advertised wrongly but, no one will care once you purchased it!

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They're Grumpy Old Men [Side A]. And since they're played by famed screen odd couple Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, they're also Funny Old Men. The wit hits the fan as the two play Minnesota ice-fishing pals whose crusty friendship grows hilariously icier as they vie for an attractive widow (Ann-Margret). Also in the cast are Daryl Hannah, Kevin Pollak, Ossie Davis and an outrageously randy Burgess Meredith. The two leads grab their fishing rods to reel in another comic whopper in the sequel Grumpier Old Men [Side B]. Most of the original cast returns, and Sophia Lore

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Major Payne (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)When Major Benson Payne (played by Damon Wayans), a one-man-army in a Marine uniform, is discharged, he needs to find a new life. Given command of the Madison Academy Junior ROTC, he sets out to whip the gang of misfit youths into shape. Used to the toughest discipline and the hardest life, Payne is the children's worst nightmare, and there is nothing they won't do to get rid of him. Along the way, though, Payne and his command all learn a few lessons.
This movie is a laugh-riot! Wayans' Payne is hilarious, being just the right mixture of homicidal maniac and tender father figure, while the ROTC cadets make a perfect foil for the Major. My family have never laughed so hard at a movie as we did at this one, with my son being quite pleased with how the Major deals with a "monster" in a young lad's closet - "If he's still in there, he's not happy!"
This is a great movie, the one caveat being that there are quite a few colorful words tossed around by the Major and the cadets. That said, though, this was a hilarious movie that you and your family will like watching again and again!

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MAJOR PAYNE - DVD Movie

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The Glass Bottom Boat (1966) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a typically formulaic Doris Day light comedy vehicle, but an entertaining one, nonetheless. The film centers around Day, a Public Relations expert and part-time mermaid impersonator, and her error filled romance with Rod Taylor, a genius engineer with a Jetsonesque house. The two of them do well in their respective roles, and the rest of the supporting cast is generally good as well. Dick Martin is particularly good as Taylor's partner, and Arthur Godfrey is great as her Dad. Paul Lynde shines as a paranoid security guard, and is rewarded with a scene in drag (you must see the wig to believe it.) The only weak link is Dom DeLuise as an inept spy. DeLuise is responsible for the one star downgrade, as I feel he frequently brings down otherwise perfect scenes.
The plot isn't heavy duty, it involves an artificial gravity machine, incompetent spies, and romance, but although lightweight, it is fun, and is certainly upbeat and suitable for all audiences (what little innuendo there is will fly right past children, anyway.)
For a lighthearted, fun experience, I recommend "The Glass Bottom Boat."


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GLASS BOTTOM BOAT - DVD Movie

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The Great Race (1965) Review

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(More customer reviews)The DVD version of "The Great Race" is long overdue. It's silly and fun; reunites Lemmon & Curtis; it's an homage to all the great slapstick that EVERYONE loves. What's wrong with having fun? I truly believe that Blake Edwards deserves more consideration that he's been given. Anyone remember "Operation Petticoat" or "The Pink Panther"? We're talking about a career of almost 50 years...and Hollywood doesn't take him seriously. Anyone remember "Victor/Victoria" or "That's Life"? How about "Breakfast at Tiffany's"? These are all films that are respected and admired, but Edwards seems to be on the back-burner when awards are handed out. It's a shame; Edwards has given us no more than pure entertainment, well-presented. His most nominated film is "The Great Race", so purely devoted to period detail, though it received no Oscar nominations for sets or costumes (it was nominated for Cinematography, Sound, Music, Song, Editing, and won for Sound Effects). Indeed, Mancini's score was gorgeous; the song, "The Sweetheart Tree" has become a standard/classic. The Oscar should have gone to Peter Falk. I saw this as a kid in its initial release, and, when I told my friends how much I liked it, my teenage peers told me how shallow I was, that I should see "The Pawnbroker" or "Ship of Fools". Well, for God's sake, I was a kid (and I did see and admire those films) but the pure, grand display of craziness that Blake Edwards presented to me has never been forgotten. I've gotten older, and have been subjected to a whole bunch of stuff in the meantime, and I've waited for the DVD release of "The Great Race". Let's not forget that Blake Edwards also directed "The Days of Wine and Roses" and "Experiment in Terror". He is not frivolous nor is he simple. He does crazy comedy as well as riveting drama. His comedies are wonderful, but none as totally overwhelming and enjoyable as "The Great Race". See and enjoy!!

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GREAT RACE - DVD Movie

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The Long, Long Trailer (1954) Review

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(More customer reviews)Watching the Lucille Ball/Desi Arnaz film "The Long, Long Trailer" some 50+ years after it was made, is a rather surreal experience. By 1953, The "Baby Boom" was indeed booming, tract housing was all over the place like crab grass, trailer parks multiplied like jackrabbits, and Americans were inundated with the wonders of "space age" technology. Big, flashy-looking cars, refrigerators, TV sets, "streamlined" furniture, and snazzy clothes were the things that everyone wanted to have. It was as if America wanted to wipe away its gritty, unglamourous past and face the space age all polished and waxed and Simonized. To see Eisenhower's America as depicted by MGM in better-than-real-life Technicolor and filmed largely on MGM's backlot (interspersed with location photography of Yosemite Park,etc) I feel like I'm watching home movies that were shot in a suburb of a distant planet! "The Long, Long Trailer" was made to capitalize on the overwhelming popularity of TV's "I Love Lucy", which finally made a star of 40ish Lucille Ball, who had never really achieved "big stardom" in the 20 years she had been in showbiz. So, if you REALLY loved Lucy, you could go and spend money to sit in a theater and watch Lucy and Desi on a big screen in an "Air-Cooled" theater in COLOR, and with no commericials! This film has always been a favorite of mine, ever since I first watched it with my sister on our parents' blonde wood console black-and-white TV back in the mid 1960s. See Lucy fall in the mud (I have to admit I get a rather sadistic pleasure out of watching this bit over and over again). See Lucy try to prepare a gourmet dinner while in a moving trailer, with disastrous results (God, the things they did to this lady!) See Desi perform a medley of songs while driving a huge convertible, pulling an even MORE huge trailer, all in stunning Technicolor. How could you NOT like this film? I must have seen this film at least 50 times when I was growing up! Detractors call this film one long "I Love Lucy" episode which, of course it is, but it certainly isn't dull, and Lucy and Desi were very talented, hardworking people. Who cares about their less-than-happy personal life? The supporting cast is great, filled with many characters actors who had long, long careers, such as Marjorie Main, Keenan Wynn, Moroni Olson, Madge Blake, and Bert Freed. The picture quality on the DVD is beautiful, with crisp imagery and breathtaking color. One can really understand why Lucille Ball was dubbed "Technicolor Tessie". She looks great. The location photography is picture-postcard lovely, and all of the pathologcally "Fifties" trappings, such as the Helen Rose clothes and humongous cars, remind us of a VERY different time. This film is a real time piece, it brings back very fond memories of a time that really seems "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." Where's my TV dinner?

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Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz live slaphappily ever after as newlyweds honeymooning in The Long, Long Trailer, breezily directed by Vincente Minnelli. They quickly find that the interior of a moving trailer is ideal for tossing a Caesar salad - and everything else. That backing up their 40-foot, three-ton home is only a little more difficult than threading a needle wearing boxing gloves. And that trailer-park folks are neighborly sorts who turn the lovebirds' rig into the wrong, wrong trailer by crashing the wedding night. Co-starring comedy pros Marjorie Main and Keenan Wynn (Ball's frequent co-star in her MGM days), this smash was filmed at the height of the I Love Lucy craze and is packed with the inventive sight gags and physical humor that made the series a TV landmark. If you like the Trailer, you're going to love the movie!

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The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have watched this movie more times than I can count, and each time I find myself laughing until I cry. When a Russian submarine accidentally runs aground of a sleepy little island summer town, the people literally go nuts. Alan Arkin, Carl Reiner, Brian Keith and Jonathan Winters are just a few of the many fine actors who make this movie a laugh a minute. When the bumbling Russians tie up and gag the elderly Post-Mistress "Muriel Everitt" and sit her on top of the refrigerator - you will laugh until your sides ache when her nearly deaf husband eats breakfast 2 feet from her and never realizes she's behind him struggling to get his attention. The sight of Carl Reiner tied up face to face with the hefty town operator and their efforts to hop down a steep flight of steps, (ending, naturally, with the heavy woman falling on top of Carl Reiner and passing out ) is more than I could take with out laughing until I cried. Please rent this movie and have the entire family watch it with you. It's in the genre of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" and you will enjoy every moment !

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When a sightseeing Soviet commander runs his submarine aground off the New England coast, the crew's attempts to find a boat to dislodge them almost start WWIII! Alan Arkin leads an all-star castincluding Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Brian Keith and Jonathan Wintersin thisriotous, uproarious [and] side-splitting(Cue) comedy!Russian Lt. Rozanov (Arkin) and his crew hit the beaches of Massachusetts unaware of the panic they're about to start. Despite the Russiansharmless intentions, the folks in town think a full-scale Soviet invasion has been launched! What's worse, theirpolice chief (Keith) has left his hysterical assistant (Winters) in charge and the one man who knows the truth (Reiner) is only stirring up more chaos!

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Laurel & Hardy II (Way Out West / Block-Heads / Chickens Come Home) (1938) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a pretty bad copy of Laurel and Hardy's work. This is what I think the studio should do:
1. Release all 32 silent shorts that have both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. BOTH OF THEM. No Charlie Chase shorts with only Hardy; no shorts with just Laurel; BOTH!!! They should put them in chronological order (starting with LUCKY DOG) with four shorts on a DVD. That makes eight DVDs.
2. Release all 40 sound shorts (chronologically) that have Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. They should release ten DVDs with 4 shorts on each disc.
3. Release all the full-length movies with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. They include PARDON US; PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES; THE DEVIL'S BROTHER; SONS OF THE DESERT; BABES IN TOYLAND; BONNIE SCOTLAND; THE BOHEMIAN GIRL; OUR RELATIONS; WAY OUT WEST; SWISS MISS; BLOCK-HEADS; THE FLYING DEUCES; A CHUMP AT OXFORD; SAPS AT SEA; GREAT GUNS; A-HAUNTING WE WILL GO; AIR RAID WARDENS; JITTERBUGS; THE DANCING MASTERS; THE BIG NOISE; THE BULLFIGHTERS; NOTHING BUT TROUBLE; and ATOLL K. Release them separately. One movie a disc.
4. Release a two disc DVD set of movies that have Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in only small parts. Such shorts as THE STOOLEN JOOLS; ON THE LOOSE; WILD POSES; ON THE WRONG TREK; and THE TREE IN A TEST TUBE and the full-length movies THE HOLLYWOOD REVUE OF 1929; HOLLYWOOD PARTY; and PICK A STAR.
5. Each DVD should have trailers of that short or movie (if available), photos, production notes, subtitles in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Mexican, and whatever other languages they think the DVDs should have.
These DVDs should be painstakingly remastered with state-of-the-art technology so that each film has the best sound and picture quality. Also, no sets. We comedy lovers like to chose what movies to watch and not have to buy a whole set (aka: It's a Gift). Also no colorization of any kind.
So that makes 8 DVDs of their silent shorts, 10 DVDs of their sound shorts, 23 DVDs with their full-length movies, and a two disc DVD set with their short movie appearances.
Please say this review was helpful and if you know someone that works at Lions Gate Home Entertainment, please print this review up, give this to that person you know, and ask that person to give this to the person in charge of the Laurel and Hardy DVDs. Thank you.


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TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection (It's a Great Feeling / Tea for Two / April in Paris / The Tunnel of Love / Starlift) (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the third of three box sets of films from Warner Home Video dedicated to Doris Day. The first two are Doris Day Collection 1 (Billy Rose's Jumbo / Calamity Jane / The Glass Bottom Boat / Love Me or Leave Me / Lullaby of Broadway / The Pajama Game / Please Don't Eat the Daisies / Young Man with a Horn) and The Doris Day Collection, Vol. 2 (Romance on the High Seas / My Dream Is Yours / On Moonlight Bay / I'll See You in My Dreams / By the Light of the Silvery Moon / Lucky Me).
This set contains five films, yet no extra features on Doris Day herself. She has a very interesting personal story, so I'm surprised at the lack of such details in any of her boxed sets. She basically had a double set of problems that could have ended her career in 1968 - her husband died and she was left with a mountain of debts. She rebounded with her successful TV career and is today quite active in animal rights issues. The following is taken from the press release for the set, which contains cartoons, shorts and trailers as extra features.
April in Paris (1952)
The State Department wants Ethel Barrymore to represent the American theater at an arts exposition in Paris. But Miss Barrymore's invitation is sent by mistake to Miss Ethel "Dynamite" Jackson, a blonde brassy chorus girl. Ray Bolger plays the stuffy bureaucrat who mismailed the Barrymore missive - and now has a stateroom full of explosives on his hands for a Paris-bound ocean voyage. Plus there's a little matter of a marriage performed on the high seas that isn't quite legal.
DVD Special Features:
· Vintage short So You Want To Wear The Pants
· Classic cartoon Terrier Stricken
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (Main feature. Bonus material/trailer may not be subtitled)
It's a Great Feeling (1949)
No one will work with actor Jack Carson (who plays himself), so he just puts his own movie together. Good buddy Dennis Morgan is hoodwinked into co-starring. And there's a talented kid in the studio commissary (Day) eager for her big break.
In her third film (and third with Carson), Doris Day plays that up-and-comer in a musical spoof featuring real Hollywood and Warner Bros. back lot locales, star cameos (Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Edward G. Robinson, among others) and a surprise comedy finale.
Starlift (1951)
The charming tale of a serviceman with a crush on a movie ingenue is the backdrop for this film featuring Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, James Cagney, Gary Cooper, Ruth Roman, Gene Nelson, Virginia Mayo, Jane Wyman, Randolph Scott and more Hollywood celebrities performing for flyboys in uniform. Songs by the Gershwins and Cole Porter plus a hilarious Western production number with Gary Cooper as a Texas Ranger add to the fun.
DVD Special Features:
· Vintage short Musical Memories
· Classic cartoon Sleepy Time Possum
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (Main feature. bonus material/trailer may not be subtitled)
Tea for Two (1950)
Wealthy, stagestruck Nan Carter strikes a bet that she can say "no" to everything for 48 hours. If she wins, she gets the $25,000 to back a Broadway musical vehicle for herself. She's determined, even if it means saying "no" when the guy she loves pops the question. Nan doesn't know it yet, but her fortune has been wiped out in the Crash of '29.
Costars Gordon MacRae and Gene Nelson on hand to help provide songs, dance and romance. Eve Arden, Billy DeWolfe and S.Z "Cuddles" Sakall deliver lots of laughs, and the Gershwins, Vincent Youmans, Harry Warren and other Tin Pan Alley greats supply the songs which include the title tune, Do, Do, Do, I Only Have Eyes for You, I Want to Be Happy and lots more.
DVD Special Features:
· Vintage short So You Want to Hold Your Husband
· Classic cartoon Tee for Two
· No, No Nanette Radio Show - From the 1949 "Railroad Hour" series, with Doris Day and Gordon MacRae
· No, No Nanette Overture - From the surviving Vitaphone disc from lost 1930 Warner Bros. film
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (Main feature. Bonus material/trailer may not be subtitled)The Tunnel of Love (1958)
Isolde (Doris Day) and Augie (Richard Widmark) Poole are trying to adopt a baby. Dick (Gig Young), the Poole's neighbor, has advice for Augie during these challenging times: have an affair. No way, says Augie. Then he wakes up in a motel room with no memory of the night before - and finds a thank-you note from the caseworker who's handling the Poole adoption. Gene Kelly directs this musical comedy.
DVD special features include:
· Classic cartoon Tot Watchers
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (Main feature. Bonus material/trailer may not be subtitled)

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Studio: Warner Home VideoRelease Date: 04/07/2009Rating: Nr

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The Adventures of Francis the Talking Mule, Vol. 1 (Francis the Talking Mule / Francis Goes to the Races / Francis Goes to West Point / Francis Covers the Big Town) (1950) Review

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(More customer reviews)The listing says that the DVD is in color. But the movies definitely aren't, and never were.
The transfers were OK by me, but I'm no expert. It looked clean.
While I've seen these movies since I was a kid, and always loved them, I was surprised to see who some of the secondary actors turned out to be. In the first movie there's Tony Curtis. In the third one, there's David Janssen and Leonard Nimoy.
This was a formulaic series of films, but they had their hearts in the right place. Francis is an always entertaining guardian angel with a little bit of attitude. And Chill Wills managed to get several octaves in on almost every line, which brought a hee-haw effect to his speech. It's... endearing.
Donald O'Connor is definitely believable as Pete. He's a hoot. Maybe someday that character will actually get it, and won't need Francis to take care of him any more.
Interestingly, on the "Singin' in the Rain" 50th anniversary DVD, Donald O'Connor says that the reason that he's not in the big finale production number is that the studio sent him off to make another Francis movie (West Point, I think). Because I cherish Francis so, that's just fine by me.
Also, the first 3 films actually have continuity, mentioning things from previous adventures. That's kind of nice.
Perhaps they'll release the rest of them on DVD, and I can tell you why Mickey Rooney just couldn't quite make it work. No offense to Mickey, of course. It's just that Donald O'Connor is the one and only real pal to my favorite mule.
Long Live Francis!!!

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ADVENTURES OF FRANCIS TALKING MULE V1 - DVD Movie

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