The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition) (1953) Review

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(More customer reviews)This movie begins with a phenomenal if misleading shot. It shows a top hat and cane belonging to former dancing legend Tony Hunter being auctioned, with no takers. Of course, if you see a top hat and cane, you think "Fred Astaire." But despite the implication and reference, Fred Astaire was, at the time this film was being made, still very much the greatest dancer in the movies (with apologies to Gene Kelly). Unlike Tony Hunter, he had never ceased to make "A" pictures. But no one could have played this role with more authority than Astaire.
The plot is simple: washed-out and used-up former dance legend Tony Hunter is returning to Broadway in an attempt to revive his sagging career. That provides the pretext that is needed for a nearly perfect musical. THE BAND WAGON is a magnificent blend of great songs, great music, great dancer numbers, great actors, and great comedy. The cast is perfect. You get not only the greatest song and dance man in movie history but also a magnificent partner in the elegant and leggy Cyd Charise. You get great comic relief with Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray. And you get one of the few musical comedy performers who could rival Fred Astaire for elegance and charm in Jack Buchanan.
The musical numbers are both marvelous and apparently never ending. The film begins with Fred performing "By Myself" and then soon shifts to a thoroughly rousing version of "Shine on My Shoes." Later in the film, two enormously debonair song and dance men (Fred and Jack) perform "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan's." And that doesn't even come close to exhausting the list.
Perhaps the highpoint of the film, however, comes when Tony and Gabrielle, the ballet performer the producers want to partner him with, uncertain that they will be able to dance with each other at all, take a carriage ride through Central Park to try to get to know each other. As they drive, they come upon an outdoor dance floor, with an orchestra playing the haunting Dietz and Schwartz classic "Dancing in the Dark" (which lyricist Dietz intended to be a meditation about the nature of human existence; Schwartz's music matched the mood of the lyrics perfectly). Tony and Gabrielle get out and begin to walk together in rhythm, gradually and tentatively attempting a few dance steps. Eventually, they discover each other's rhythm, and they begin to dance together marvelously and magnificently, matching the mood of the music precisely. It is one of the greatest moments in either Astaire or Charisse's career.
This is a must see film for any fan of the movie musical. I have to confess that I am not, by and large, a big fan of the MGM musical. I prefer the kookiness of the older RKO musicals, or even the stylized musicals of Warners or even Fox. MGM musicals were, to me, too often overproduced and dominated by the art directors. This film, however, is a magnificent exception.

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A washed-up movie star tries his luck on a faltering broadway show and manages to turn it into a smash hit. Some of the dazzling astaire dance numbers include triplets girl hunt dancing in the dark and thats entertainment.Studio: Warner Home VideoRelease Date: 03/15/2005Starring: Jack Buchanan Cyd CharisseRun time: 112 minutes

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Darling Lili (1970) Review

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(More customer reviews)Paramount Home Video had originally scheduled to release "Darling Lili" on DVD in April, but it was pulled from the release schedule with no explanation. Now they have just announced that the film will be released October 25, 2005!
As you probably know, this movie bombed when released in 1970, and it was never released on home video in any format. However, anything with Julie Andrews in it has a cult following, and I've always felt that it was just a matter of time before this film was finally made available.
Darling Lili is not a great movie by any means, but it's quite enjoyable with pretty music, nice cinematography, costumes, and set design. The story's not especially memorable, but Julie and Rock Hudson have good chemistry and give it their best shot. This was the sort of sophisticated, light comedy/drama that was popular in the Sixties and, if made just a few years earlier, would have starred either Doris Day, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, or Shirley MacLaine. However, by the time of its release in 1970, this type of film had fallen on hard times--plus being a musical did not help its appeal at the box office.
Let's hope that Paramount decides to finally release the full-length version on DVD soon (as opposed to the shortened version that turns up occasionaly on cable) and gives us a beautiful transfer that is sharp, saturated, and free from debris.

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A German spy masquerades as a singer during World War I to obtain secrets from an American pilot and she begins to fall in love with him.Genre: MusicalsRating: GRelease Date: 25-OCT-2005Media Type: DVD

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By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953) Review

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(More customer reviews)In the annual Quigley Poll of the top ten box-office attractions in America conducted at the end of 1952, Doris Day was determined to be the top money-making female star in films. "By the Light of the Silvery Moon", released in 1953, was her first film release after achieving that honor. "Moon" was a deserved success and certainly worthy of Day's position within the industry at that time.
"By the Light of the Silvery Moon" is the tuneful follow-up to the very popular 1951 hit for Warner Brothers, "On Moonlight Bay". Like its predecessor, it recalls another time and place in America, directly after World War I, bathing it in a nostalgic warmth and glow in stunning technicolor and reassembling most of the cast from the earlier film.
The characters and story are very loosely based on the "Penrod" series of stories written by Booth Tarkington.
Marjorie and Bill, the sweethearts of the piece, are played by Doris Day and Gordon MacRae, in their 5th and final on-screen pairing. They harmonize beautifully and play their scenes with genuine and totally unaffected warmth and believability. Watching Day, it's easy to see why see held the lofty position within the industry that she held for so long. Her natural likeability and never cloying manner are soothing and when she sings, as she does frequently, one is transported to a safe and comfortable haven.
The songs include the title tune, "If You Were the Only Girl in the World" and "Ain't We Got Fun" to name but a few.
The remaining members of Marjorie's family are back from the earlier effort and seem to be more a family than ever before. Leon Ames is part bluster/part patriarch, while Rosemary DeCamp, as usual, is better than much of the material Hollywood generally gave her to work with. Billy Gray is appropriately rowdy but skillfully avoiding the obnoxious elements as Wesley and Mary Wickes, as she is prone to do, shines in every scene she plays, a natural treasure as one of the most unique character actresses in film history.
If you look quickly in the beautifully staged skating sequence near the film's conclusion, you'll spot Merv Griffin talking through a megaphone and urging everyone to skate with their sweetheart. Doris Day was responsible for getting Griffin a contract at Warners, which launched his career. In 1970, she made her first ever talk show appearance on his program.
"By the Light of the Silvery Moon" is as substantial as a Hallmark Card brought to life but thanks to a fine cast headed by Day, who smoothly mixes the various facets of her character, some great tunes, a lightweight plot that never gets in the way of the music and some fine Warner Brothers production values, it works.
By the final credits you care so much about these characters that you almost wish Warner Brothers had done one more chapter to the story. The light in this moon certainly becomes everyone involved.

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"On Moonlight Bay" stars Doris Day and Gordon MacRae are back together in top tune-crooning form for the further adventures of a small-town family turning the corner from World War I into the Roaring '20s. Year: 1953 Director: David Butler Starring: Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Billy Gray

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Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)Though the stage show was one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's biggest hits, the script has not aged well. It is overlong and lacking in subtleness. The 1958 film, despite the beautiful scenery, is played woodenly. Even Rodgers and Hammerstein expressed disappointment with the finished film.
So, in 2000, ABC TV and Glen Close produced a new TB film with a new script that weaves in most of the songs and situations of the original play while at the same time fleshing out the characters and making them more realistic.
Is the film a complete success? Well, no. For starters Glen Close is too old for the role of Nellie. She does act it well, however, and she sings with a characterful chest voice though I do detect some of her high notes might be dubbed. I have just re-watched the movie and don't find her all that objectionable. She sounds like she is having fun cutting loose in "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" and "A Wonderful guy." Remember too that Mary Marin and Mitzi Gaynor were both too old for the role originally. What Glen Close does play very effectively is Nellie's warring emotions. Aided by the camera work, we see her confusion and unhappiness when confronted with her own prejudices.
Rade Sherbedgia certainly looks the part of DeBecque but since we are so used to hearing robust Bass singers in the role, his softly sung arias take a good deal of getting used to. Instead of an outpouring of emotion in "this Nearly Was Mine" he offers a more introspective take on the role. It's actually a good idea and might work better with a stronger singer. His acting is quite good but the script does tend to shortchange Emile in favour of Nellie.
Harry Connick Jr acts the part of Cable quite well and shades the characters different emotions. True he is more of New Orleans than Philadelphia, and like the others he tends to pull the big musical moments inward. It is most effective in the scene after he first makes love to Liat and croons a tender "Younger Than Springtime." This is everything that the sung ought to be... passionate, sexy and filled with wonder. This is a young man caught off guard by true love for the first time and Connick communicates that brilliantly. His "crooning" is not wildly out-of-place and certainly in keeping with the types of singers he would have heard at home. Some scenes later he performs a remarkably understated "Carefully Taught" having played the intense anger in the dialogue scene that precedes the song. The result is more a case of Cable realizing what he is saying than just spitting out an angry indictment. It may not be the way it was originally done, but you can't argue with its effectiveness.
Lori Tan Chin as Bloody Mary is much closer to the description provided by James Michener in his original novel than Juanita Hall. Hall indeed made the part her own, but that is not to say that hers was definitive.

In re-writing the screenplay, the scenes and songs were re-arranged from their traditional order. In this new version we see the first meeting of Nellie and Emile at an officers club dance, and the song "A Cockeyed Optimist" is used in this sequence to establish Nellie's outlook. It's part of her charm and clearly attracts DeBecque. The structure also allows the first two scenes of the musical to unfold simultaneously.
Anyone considering a Broadway revival of SOUTH PACIFIC might do well to examine the TV film for its style and construction. There might indeed be a way to make the story work for modern audiences, clearing away some of the hoary old jokes and developing character instead.

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Three-time Tony Award-winner Glenn Close and two-time Grammy Award-winner Harry Connick Jr. lead a sensational cast in an all-new version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's beloved musical SOUTH PACIFIC. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by James Michener, and featuring some of the finest music ever written for the stage ("Some Enchanted Evening," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," and "Younger Than Springtime"), SOUTH PACIFIC spins a romantic tale of love and loss on a tropical island naval base during the Second World War. Enjoy the fun and adventure of this breathtaking new production with a star-studded cast, timeless songs, and a story that has enchanted audiences for years.

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Meet Me In St. Louis (Two-Disc Special Edition) (1945) Review

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(More customer reviews)Many critics consider MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS the single finest Hollywood musical of the 20th Century. Produced by Arthur Freed, directed by Vincent Minnelli, and sporting a flawless ensemble cast led by Judy Garland, the film was immediately hailed when it debuted in 1944--and time has only added luster to its name. Now, after several home market incarnations, it at last receives the edition it deserves on DVD.
Given its stature, it is ironic that both MGM and Judy Garland originally fought the project. Based on a collection of autobiographical stories by Sally Benson, the script is little more than a series of domestic adventures in the lives of the Smith family of 1903 St. Louis. But it became a thing of wonder: a careful balance of sly but gentle humor, a collection of memorable performances, an understated score shorn of the usual movie-musical affectations, and at the center of it all Judy Garland, one of Hollywood's most memorable talents.
The transfer is excellent, capturing every nuance of the film's meticulously and beautifully designed sets in full Technicolor; the sound elements, remastered in Dolby 5.1, are equally fine and Garland's unique vocal skills are undimmed by time. All in all, it seems safe to say that not even the original 1944 theatrical release could surpass the quality of picture and sound offered here.
Although the bonus package would have better without the awful pilot for a failed television series based on the film, by and large it offers a superior collection. Previously available on VHS, the Roddy McDowell-narrated "making of" documentary is worth revisiting, as is the TCM-produced "Becoming Attractions." While a number of later documentaries surpass it, "Hollywood: The Dream Factory" has never before been widely available and offers an inside glimpse of the famous 1972 MGM auction. The Martins' performance of "Skip to My Lou" a reconstruction of "Boys and Girls Like You and Me," and a collection of Vincent Minnelli movie trailers round out the offerings, all of them entertaining.
The notable audio commentary is led by film historian and Garland scholar John Fricke. I regret to say that I have several issues with Fricke, who seems to rely excessively on Vincent Minnelli's autobiography I REMEMBER IT WELL and who has a tendency to perpetuate certain myths about the film--chief among them the idea that Garland did "The Trolley Song" in a single take. (Garland prerecorded the song, the overall sequence involves at least seven unique camera set-ups, and although Garland performs most of the solo in a single take there is a change in camera set-up toward the end of her vocal.) Even so, Fricke offers considerable insight into the cast, crew, and production of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, and the commentary is laced with remarks (some of them archival) by the likes of Margaret O'Brien, Hugh Martin, and Irving Brecher; in spite of my occasional misgivings, it really is everything one could wish an audio commentary to be.
These aside, the bonus package contains one significant and unique prize: the short film "Bubbles" and a notable audio commentary led by Hollywood and Garland historian John Fricke. Long thought lost, "Bubbles" is one of several shorts made in the early 1930s that include The Gumm Sisters, the youngest of whom would become better known as Judy Garland--a true rarity indeed.
Given the beauty of the transfer and the generally exceptional bonus package, it is difficult to imagine a better edition of this uniquely American classic. I strongly recommend it.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer

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St. Louis 1903. The well-off Smith family has four beautiful daughters, including Esther and little Tootie. 17-year old Esther has fallen in love with the boy next door who has just moved in, John. He however, barely notices her at first. The family is shocked when Mr. Smith reveals that he has been transfered to a nice position in New York, which means that the family has to leave St. Louis and the St. Louis Fair.

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Pin-Up Girl (1944) Review

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(More customer reviews)It is WONDERFUL that FOX is releasing some Betty Grable movies once again...and finally on DVD!! "Pin Up Girl" was primarily a
follow up to the release of millions of copies of her famous pin up picture in 1943. It is a typical Fox Musical...with a large dash of vaudeville (roller skating specialties) and Our Betty playing a secretary (watch her take off her glasses and WOW just about everybody!)...who pretends to be a musical comedy star. There is A BIG NAME BAND and Betty dances with
Hermes Pan! O.K....we watch Betty because she is a great entertainer (and by popular demand, A PIN UP)...her films are
bright and colorful light entertainment. Betty suffers the
embarassment of plots that bring on migraine, but Betty is a
trouper. Bottom line: you will LOVE BETTY...not the movie. We can hope that this will triger the release of some of Betty's
films that have never been on video of any kind. I would really prefer to buy my Betty Grable movies from Fox than from mysterious people on e-Bay and I sincerely hope that this means we will soon be able to do that! Please bring us "Coney Island", "Sweet Rosey O'Grady", "The Dolly Sisters", "Mother Wore Tights"....and everything she made between 1950 and 1955.
Betty Grable was a wildly popular star. Some of her plots are
a little threadbare by now...but BETTY will always be THE WOMAN WE WON THE WAR FOR and a phenomenal popular entertainer. Thanks for bringing her back to us. THREE stars for the movie.
For BETTY: a THOUSAND!!

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Betty Grable in the role that she made famous throughout World War II. A classic musical romance with Martha Raye and Joe E. Brown.

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