Family Collection: 250 Movies [60 Discs]Family Collection: 250 Movies [60 Discs]

Retail: $99.98
Our Price:
$89.13
Save: $10.85

Stock Status: No Longer Available!!!

 

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

    Gather the kids and grandparents around the television for a movie marathon that viewers of all ages can enjoy with this box set containing two-hundred-and-fifty timeless classics including The Road to Bali, His Girl Friday, Pot O' Gold, and The General. With stars like Danny Kaye, James Stewart, and Gary Cooper, these are the films that bring families together like only the classics can. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:
  • Number of Discs: 10
  • Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
AWARDS
  • Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  •     Won Best Actor - 1950 (José Ferrer)
  •     Won Best Score - 1941 (Edward Ward)
  •     Won Best Original Story - 1937 (Robert Carson, Alan Campbell, William Wellman)
  •     Won Honorary and Other Awards - 1937 (W. Howard Greene)
  •     Won Best Comedy Short - 1934
  •     Won Best Live Action Short - 1934
  •     Won Best Cinematography - 1932- (Charles B. Lang)
  •     Nominated Best Black and White Art Direction - 1953 (Paul Markwitz)
  •     Nominated Best Black and White Cinematography - 1953 (Fritz Maurischat, Joseph Brun)
  •     Nominated Best Documentary Feature - 1953 (John Taylor, Grahame Tharp, Leon Clore)
  •     Nominated Best Song - 1951 (Burton Lane, Alan Jay Lerner)
  •     Nominated Best Story and Screenplay - 1949 (T.E.B. Clarke)
  •     Nominated Best Actor - 1947 (William Powell)
  •     Nominated Best Color Art Direction - 1947 (George James Hopkins, Robert M. Haas)
  •     Nominated Best Color Cinematography - 1947 (J. Peverell Marley, William Skall)
  •     Nominated Best Score - Drama or Comedy - 1947 (Max Steiner)
  •     Nominated Best Song - 1947 (Frank Loesser)
  •     Nominated Best Score - Drama or Comedy - 1945 (Werner Janssen)
  •     Nominated Best Score - Musical - 1944 (Leo Erdody, Ferde Grofé, Sr.)
  •     Nominated Best Song - 1944 (Paul Francis Webster, Harry Revel)
  •     Nominated Best Score - Drama or Comedy - 1943 (Phil Boutelje)
  •     Nominated Best Score - Musical - 1943 (Freddie Rich)
  •     Nominated Best Song - 1943 (James V. Monaco, Alexis Dubin)
  •     Nominated Best Color Art Direction - 1942 (Vincent Korda, Julia Heron)
  •     Nominated Best Color Cinematography - 1942 (W. Howard Greene)
  •     Nominated Best Score - Drama or Comedy - 1942 (Miklos Rozsa)
  •     Nominated Best Special Effects - 1942 (Lawrence W. Butler, William Wilmarth)
  •     Nominated Best Black and White Art Direction - 1941 (John DuCasse Schulze, Edward Boyle)
  •     Nominated Best Dramatic Score - 1941 (Werner Richard Heymann)
  •     Nominated Best Score - 1941 (Anthony Collins)
  •     Nominated Best Song - 1941 (Lloyd B. Norlind)
  •     Nominated Best Actress - 1940 (Martha Scott)
  •     Nominated Best Black and White Art Direction - 1940 (Lewis Rachmil)
  •     Nominated Best Original Score - 1940 (Aaron Copland)
  •     Nominated Best Picture - 1940
  •     Nominated Best Score - 1940 (Arlie Shaw & His Band, Aaron Copland)
  •     Nominated Best Song - 1940 (Arlie Shaw & His Band, Johnny Mercer)
  •     Nominated Best Sound - 1940 (Thomas T. Moulton)
  •     Nominated Best Original Score - 1939 (Werner Janssen, Victor Young)
  •     Nominated Best Song - 1939 (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin)
  •     Nominated Best Actor - 1937 (Fredric March)
  •     Nominated Best Actress - 1937 (Janet Gaynor)
  •     Nominated Best Assistant Director - 1937 (Eric Stacey)
  •     Nominated Best Director - 1937 (William Wellman)
  •     Nominated Best Picture - 1937
  •     Nominated Best Score - 1937 (Constantin Bakaleinikoff, Victor Schertzinger)
  •     Nominated Best Screenplay - 1937 (Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker)
  •     Nominated Best Actor - 1936 (William Powell)
  •     Nominated Best Actress - 1936 (Carole Lombard)
  •     Nominated Best Director - 1936 (Gregory La Cava)
  •     Nominated Best Screenplay - 1936 (Eric Hatch, Morris Ryskind)
  •     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 1936 (Mischa Auer)
  •     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 1936 (Alice Brady)
  •     Nominated Best Actress - 1935 (Miriam Hopkins)
  •     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1932- (Hans Dreier, Roland Anderson)
  •     Nominated Best Picture - 1932-
  •     Nominated Best Sound - 1932- (Harold Lewis)
  •     Nominated Best Actor - 1930- (Adolphe Menjou)
  •     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1930- (Anton Grot)
  •     Nominated Best Cinematography - 1930- (Barney "Chick" McGill)
  •     Nominated Best Director - 1930- (Lewis Milestone)
  •     Nominated Best Picture - 1930-
  •     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1928- (William Cameron Menzies)
  • Berlin International Film Festival
  •     Film Presented - 2007
  • British Academy of Film and Television Arts
  •     Nominated Best British Film - 1948 (Charles Frend)
  • Directors Guild of America
  •     Nominated Best Director - 1951 (Michael Gordon)
  • Film Daily
  •     Won 10 Best Films - 1947
  •     Won 10 Best Films - 1943
  •     Won 10 Best Films - 1940
  •     Won 10 Best Films - 1937
  •     Won 10 Best Films - 1932
  •     Won 10 Best Films - 1931
  • Hollywood Foreign Press Association
  •     Won Best Cinematography - Black and White - 1950 (Franz Planer)
  •     Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - 1950 (José Ferrer)
  •     Won Best Original Score - 1949 (John W. Green)
  •     Won Best Original Score - 1947 (Max Steiner)
  •     Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comed - 1950 (Harold Lloyd)
  •     Nominated Best Picture - 1950
  •     Nominated New Star of the Year - 1950 (Mala Powers)
  • Library of Congress
  •     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 1999
  •     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 1998
  •     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 1992
  •     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 1988
  • National Board of Review
  •     Won Best Acting - 1940 (Martha Scott, William Holden)
  •     Won Best Picture - 1931
  •     Nominated Best Picture - 1954
  •     Nominated Best Foreign Film - 1953
  •     Nominated Best Picture - 1953
  •     Nominated Best Picture - 1950
  •     Nominated Best Picture - 1940
  •     Nominated Best Picture - 1937
  •     Nominated Best Picture - 1932
  • New York Film Critics Circle
  •     Won Best Actor - 1947 (William Powell)
  • New York Times
  •     Won 10 Best Films - 1947
  •     Won 10 Best Films - 1940
  •     Won 10 Best Films - 1939
  •     Won 10 Best Films - 1937
  •     Won 10 Best Films - 1934
  •     Won 10 Best Films - 1930
  • Telluride Film Festival
  •     Film Presented - 2003
  •     Film Presented - 2002
  •     Film Presented - 1997
  •     Film Presented - 1984
  •     Film Presented - 1976
  • Toronto International Film Festival
  •     Film Presented - 2004
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
REVIEWS:
  • Shirley Temple was at her most engaging in this handsome adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's story, playing plucky Sara Crewe, who finds herself orphaned and reduced to near-indentured servitude at the boarding school where she was formerly a student. Director Walter Lang manages to balance the drama, the little bits of song-and-dance (mostly courtesy of Arthur Treacher), the comedy, the romance (provided by Richard Greene and Anita Louise), and the Technicolor glow of the production, creating one of Temple's most enjoyable movies. Lang's handling of the actors is lively, engaging, and smooth -- he never lets the splendor of the Technicolor shooting, or the lavish sets, stand in the way of moving the story forward or letting his actors do what they're there to do -- the result is a set of highly memorable portrayals in an exquisite screen setting, presenting late Victorian at its most opulent and beautiful (and, at times, cruel). This is the kind of storytelling in which the old Hollywood had no equal, and looking at the pacing, drama, humor, and fantasy elements, one wonders what Lang might have made out of a movie such as Mary Poppins if he'd had the chance to work on that a quarter century later (not that Robert Stevenson did a bad job with the latter...). Additionally, his handling of the dream/fantasy sequence here anticipates his treatment, more than two decades later, of the action through the entire body of Snow White And The Three Stooges (and goes a long way toward explaining the success of that movie). But at the center of this movie's success is Temple, nearing the end of her childhood appeal but able to flex some real acting muscles, especially working in the same scenes with villainous Mary Nash. The only drawback to appreciating The Little Princess is the lapse of its copyright in 1967, which has resulted in a plethora of unauthorized television showings and video releases of the movie, most of them with highly substandard Technicolor, among other problems. The authorized Twentieth Century Fox DVD, released in the late winter of 2007, is the one to watch or to own. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
  • Martin Luther wants so very badly to be a great film that one almost feels sorry for it that it comes up short. Whatever its failings, however, at least one can say that this is a biopic that is relatively faithful to the facts. Yes, a few things are fudged here and there, or incidents are combined or telescoped. But on the whole, Luther presents a mostly accurate portrait of its main subject. Unfortunately, it does so in a heavy handed and, it must be admitted, tedious manner. Historians or devout Lutherans will most likely not mind this too much, and will appreciate it for its historical value and pass over its dramatic shortcomings. Others will not be so generous. Part of the problem is that -- like its subject -- Martin Luther is very, very talky. Some of the talk is quite brilliant, but it bogs the film down terribly. And too little attention is paid to making all of this important talk cinematic. In the title role, Niall MacGinnis does all that is asked of him, and quite a bit more. It's a very detailed, well thought performance and quite a treat in terms of technique. But, because of the script and the manner in which the script is directed, MacGinnis is rarely able to really catch fire and light up the screen the way that he so clearly wants to. It's a shame that this actor and this character were not brought together in a project that would show what both were really capable of. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Poverty-stricken Grand National certainly had something to sing about in 1938. The upstart studio had somehow managed to corral both James Cagney and director/songsmith Victor Schertzinger, not to mention the pretty Evelyn Daw, a discovery of Schertzinger. What they didn't have, alas, was an adequate budget -- a reported 450,000 dollars was hardly enough for what was meant to be a top-grade musical -- or a good story. Granted, James Cagney goes along way, but not even he can save Something to Sing About, which lacks both polish and a first-class score. What it does have, however, is Dwight Frye playing a gay hairdresser and that is at least somewhat entertaining. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
  • For the first animated feature by the Fleischer studio, Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels seemed a natural fit. Oversimplification of the story aside, Gulliver's Travels is lively entertainment that retains a great deal of charm. It is also filled with some genuinely enjoyable moments, especially the Lilliputians' initial encounter with Gulliver, and their subsequent attempt to tie him up. The film is further aided by the scenery which evokes the magical appeal of an ancient, tiny kingdom. Unfortunately, in most other areas it becomes obvious that Gulliver's Travels was made in a rush. The songs, including the Oscar-nominated "Faithful Forever," are far from memorable, the writing is sloppy and creates the impression that the first draft was the final draft, and worst of all, the animation is wildly inconsistent. For instance, the Lilliputians and their Blefuscu counterparts are the closest to the Fleischer tradition and the most cartoonish, drawn in a very fluid manner as absurdly shaped humans with exaggerated features. But for some unknown reason, Prince David, Princess Glory, and Gulliver himself are drawn in a much more "natural" fashion and as a result look as if they are from an entirely different movie. On the plus side, there are some slight gags tossed in to bring humor to the story. For example, when the hideout of Sneak, Snoop, and Snitch is burning, one of the spies takes the opportunity to make shadow puppets; and earlier, as the Lilliputians are panicking when they think Gulliver is going to invade, one villager seen fainting in her window bears an unmistakable resemblance to Snow White. Gulliver's Travels falls far short of its potential, and despite its worthwhile moments, probably just served to solidify Disney's domination of the animated-feature market. ~ Bob Mastrangelo, Rovi
  • The flip side of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Angel on My Shoulder is an amusing and engaging fantasy comedy that suffers a bit from its structural similarities to the earlier "repossessed body" picture. The gimmick in Angel, of course, is that it is the Devil that is offering a soul a second chance at life, and for nefarious reasons; but the basic throughline is much the same as in the Jordan. Still, Angel has its own style of humor, with its fish-out-of-water premise given a few nice twists, and the screenplay in general bubbling along with snappy dialogue and nifty little turns. Angel works, however, because of it gives its two male leads the chance to shine. Paul Muni over-the-top performance is a load of fun, made the more so when one realizes that it's over the top in a remarkably controlled way. This fine actor knows that there are ways to underplay one's overplaying, and he demonstrates this time and again throughout. As the Devil, Claude Rains makes "sinister" seem like a heavenly compliment. He rages, he thrashes, he insinuates, he cajoles, and it's all as appealing as one might wish. Add in Anne Baxter, doing quite well with a "reactive' part, and some swiftly paced direction by Archie Mayo and the result is a spiffy way to pass some time. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Mr. Imperium is a yummy little romantic musical. Is it a flawless classic? By no means. But Imperium has something that many much better films often lack -- genuine charm. Thank the handsome Ezio Pinza and the luscious Lana Turner for this. Neither Pinza nor Turner is giving what could be called a great acting performance in Imperium, although they are much more than satisfactory in this area. But their star personalities and delicious chemistry count for much more than acting prowess, especially given a screenplay that doesn't require a Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. The two stars are wonderful company, and viewers are likely to forgive Imperium a lot merely for the chance to pass an hour and half or so with them. Certainly, the material requires some forgiving, for certain situations have been presented to the audience many times before, and it has to be said that a character here and there is a bit more cardboard than flesh-and-blood. In addition to the stars, there is fine support from Barry Sullivan in a thankless role, Sir Cedric Hardwicke in a wicked one, Debbie Reynolds in prime teenaged condition, and especially Marjorie Main in one of her very rare non-hick roles. Throw in some gorgeous on-location lensing, a few nifty musical numbers from Harold Arlen and Dorothy Fields, and some nifty costumes from Walter Plunkett, and the result is an enjoyable way to kill some time. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Although Three Husbands was inspired by A Letter to Three Wives, there's really no similarity between the films, other than the basic idea that three individuals receive a letter indicating that one of their spouses has been unfaithful. Those who come to Husbands expecting more of what they received in Wives will be disappointed, especially since mastermind Joseph Mankiewicz had no hand in the male version. However, if one puts Wives out of one's mind and approaches Husbands fresh, as just a film with no ties to any other film, s/he will likely be fairly entertained. Granted, Husbands is nothing like a great picture; the screenplay is adequate but not special, the dialogue humorous but not witty, the characters appealing but rather on the predictable side. But it has a certain small charm that makes one forgive it for not being a classic. Director Irving G. Reis helps matters by keeping things moving at a bright clip and making sure everything stays lively. As the men, Howard Da Silva, Sheppard Strudwick and Robert Karnes are all fine, but it's dependable Eva Arden who makes the biggest impression. Emlyn Williams also adds zest as the instigator of all the trouble. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • A B-movie directed with all the briskness that the genre demanded, East Side Kids was vastly entertaining and diverting, a low-budget successor to such well-intentioned major studio dramas as Dead End and Angels With Dirty Faces. East Side Kids is also a very dark film, however, when compared with the East Side Kids series of movies that followed it -- this was the only movie in the series (and essentially wasn't part of the series, but spawned it) in which a member of the gang is killed. Producer Sam Katzman recognized that he'd struck gold with the movie, but did some retooling of the concept. He signed up the available principal members of the original Dead End Kids (all except for Billy Halop and Bernard Punsley) rather than the secondary players such as Hally Chester who'd starred in East Side Kids, and put together a less realistic but more memorable and charismatic, as well as more humorous, gang led by Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall. Dave "Tex" O'Brien, seen here as unjustly convicted felon Knuckles Dolan, was kept and shown as the reformed, upright mentor to the group in the first few movies that followed, but the role of his brother Danny was recast with Bobby Jordan. The character of Algernon Wilkes, introduced here as the only well-spoken, serious student among the gang, was also kept but also altered slightly, so that he was a teenager from a wealthy background in future installments. Katzman maintained the Lower East Side New York setting and made it even more vivid, despite the low budgets involved, and the result of all of his work, and the contributions of several writers and directors who became very important down the road including Phil Karlson and Carl Foreman, was one of the longest-running film series in the history of movies, so successful that it spawned an even longer-running successor series, The Bowery Boys. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
  • One watches the mediocre musical Delightfully Dangerous wishing it were a bit more delightful -- or even a bit more dangerous. Not that Dangerous is bad or difficult to sit through; as long as one has a fondness for lightweight, inconsequential musicals, it's a pleasant little diversion. However, those that dislike musicals, or who want their musicals more challenging, or even who simply want their musicals to contain above average scores, will likely find Dangerous not really to their liking. The screenplay is poor, with one of those stories that has to be handled extremely carefully and with the perfect degree of finesse to come off. The quartet of credited writers fumble the job, and Arthur Lubin, while providing some good visual moments, isn't able to clean up the storytelling mess. An outstanding score would have gone a long way to compensating for the script, but Morton Gould's original pieces, while not without technical interest, don't really please, and the Strauss medley is too long on the on hand and gives short shrift to the songs included on the other. The cast, fortunately, helps to make Dangerous watchable, with a very young Jane Powell in fine voice, Constance Moore looking quite fetching, Ralph Bellamy going through his paces ably, and valuable assists from Arthur Treacher and Louise Beavers. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Considering the presence of David Niven and Loretta Young, it's surprising that Eternally Yours isn't a more engaging little film. Granted, Eternally has the handicap of a predictable and manipulative screenplay, one that asks its audience to accept a lot of nonsense and that doesn't come across with much in the way of a reward for the viewers' efforts. Still, Niven and Young are so utterly charming, so thoroughly winning, that one really wants to like Eternally more than one ultimately is able to. Despite the efforts of three (credited) screenwriters, the script feels as if it were put together by taking part "a" from this typical scenario and putting it with part "b," then part "c." And the conflict that is supposed to form the core of the plot is never really resolved: Young marries the always-on-the-go Niven despite the fact that what she wants is to settle down in Connecticut and leaves him when he can't change his traveling ways. Yet when Niven wins her back and settles down with her, he hasn't changed a bit, and viewers are left wondering if in four or five months their happy little love nest will have crumbled. If the writers had actively pursued that kind of option, Eternally might have had some interest, as well as a little bite and something to say. Instead, it just ambles along, depending on its marvelous stars to carry the film all by themselves. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Although the ending was altered, this A Farewell to Arms is one of the best cinematic adaptations of an Ernest Hemingway work. True, the film doesn't quite capture the unique Hemingway voice and style, but it does have some of his flavor; more importantly, it translates the story into "Hollywood" terms that make it more cinematically appealing. If the film lacks the depth of the novel, it still packs an emotional wallop. Certainly a great deal of the credit must go to stars Helen Hayes and Gary Cooper, who make an odd physical pair but who have a genuine, affecting chemistry. Hayes is radiant in one of her finest screen performances, playing suffering, nobility, and heartbreak in an outsized style that still rings true. Cooper utilizes his considerable charm to good effect, helped by his truly impressive good looks; while he's not as comfortable as Hayes with some of the heightened emotion, he still pulls it off. Director Frank Borzage skillfully blends the romance with the war-themed story, creating both impressive battle vistas and intimate, softly lit duets -- all with the inestimable help of cinematographer Charles B. Lang. Modern audiences will undoubtedly find portions of the film (and its style) dated and over the top, but those willing to meet it on its own terms will be rewarded. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Inevitably compared to Seabiscuit and inevitably found wanting, The Great Dan Patch is nevertheless a "nice" little horse-racing flick. Of course, "nice" is not what most people want out of horse-racing; they want excitement and suspense, and here Dan simply falls a little short. Dan is a gentle film, and one that focuses more on the people surrounding the amazing horse than on the animal itself. True, the trotting segments and races offer a fair degree of excitement, but they fall short of what one expects: they have life but they lack thrills. This leaves a tremendous burden on the part of the story focuses on the humans, and here Dan doesn't make it into the winner's circle. The largely fictional story that the screenwriters have crafted is quite unoriginal and lacking in surprises. It works on a purely mechanical level, and it keeps the film moving, but it doesn't truly engage. The cast, fortunately, helps, with Dennis O'Keefe good as Dan's owner, Ruth Warrick excellent as his selfish wife and Gail Russell fine (and quite lovely) as the woman O'Keefe is clearly intended for. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • A totally unnecessary sequel to Treasure Island, Long John Silver is at best a middling little pirate film. Its sole reason for existence is to showcase the title character so memorably created by Robert Newton in Island. In that first film, Newton's enjoyably hammy performance was balanced by a variety of other factors; here in Silver, it's the whole show, and that's not good. Newton's Silver is an over-the-top impersonation that is hard to take as the focus of an entire film, and it quickly becomes tiring. Matters are not helped by the fact that Silver's script is a hodgepodge of elements all thrown together; there's a nod to having a main plot, but it's really just an excuse to have one segment follow another, and the number of subplots that are generated over the course of the piece only make it more of a mishmash. The photography is nice, and some of the locations are engaging as well. But even though the supporting cast has some strong players, such as Connie Gilchrist, they're hampered by the script. Byron Haskin's direction is functional. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Directed by Leo McCarey and produced by and starring Harold Lloyd, The Milky Way is one of the most finely etched and precisely paced comedic romps ever to grace the screen, and a dazzling showcase not only for Lloyd, but also for the entire cast. Naturally, he is the star and the main spark plug for the film, but Veree Teasdale as Ann Westly, Gabby Sloan's smart, long-suffering fiancée, steals most of the scenes that she's in with a wisecracking gem of a performance, like Eve Arden with a sharper edge; Adolphe Menjou's Gabby Sloan is a manic whirlwind of neurotic tics and apoplexy-in-the-making; William Gargan and Lionel Stander as the middle-weight champion and his stooge make a boundlessly funny dumb-and-dumber duo (Stander was so good in the part of the stooge that he repeated it in the Danny Kaye remake The Kid From Brooklyn a decade later); finally, Helen Mack and Dorothy Wilson are refreshing and delightful as two young women who are smarter than most of the men around them and not afraid to show it. The screenplay, by Frank R. Butler, Richard Connell, and Grover Jones, is a marvel of verbal and physical humor in perfect balance, while McCarey pulls it all together seamlessly as a vehicle for Lloyd's eager-beaver, go-getter screen persona. The first time he saw it, this reviewer almost hurt himself laughing at the scene where Lloyd's Burleigh Sullivan explains how the champion came to be knocked out, and most of the movie is just a few notches off from that sequence. The Milky Way wasn't a huge success when it was originally released, but over six decades it has retained its comedic edge and its charm where many other celebrated comedies of the period have faded -- and today, along with The Freshman, Safety Last, and Mad Wednesday, it's essential viewing for anyone who wants to appreciate Harold Lloyd's work, and for any fan of classic screen comedy. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
  • The Smallest Show on Earth is a little slip of a film from Britain in the tradition of later films such as Cinema Paradiso and The Majestic, along with a hoard of others that try to incestuously convey what a wonderful experience going to the movies can be. Although that's a laudable and often entertaining premise, in this film it is literally the only thing going for it besides an early cinema appearance by Peter Sellers in a supporting role, giving an indication of his amazing versatility playing a septagenarian while in his thirties. There are very quaint and decent performances by the cast, including British stalwarts Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers, Margaret Rutherford, and Leslie Phillips. Travers and McKenna play a young couple who inherit a movie theater and find (surprise!) that it's a run-down antique and in danger of being bought out by the larger theater up the street. Naturally, they decide to refurbish it in the hopes of increasing the offer price but instead come to discover that the joy of the movies means a lot more than they thought it did. Clichés abound, but since the film was made in the late fifties, it's easy to see where a lot of later productions, whether intentionally or not, used many of the same conventions and made them rote. The film has been re-released on video as part of a Sellers collection but its inclusion in that category is paper-thin given his screen time. However, it is very enjoyable as a diversion and, for those who appreciate the days of film gone by, a well-crafted slice of entertainment. ~ Dan Friedman, Rovi
  • It's doubtful that one could find a movie as fast-paced as Howard Hawks' His Girl Friday, and next-to-impossible to find a film of the period more laced with sexual electricity. Decades after its release, the comedy-thriller adapted from Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's play The Front Page holds up as a masterpiece of pacing and performance, and even manages a few healthy swipes at some of officialdom's sacred cows. At the time, His Girl Friday was also a piece of groundbreaking cinema for the rules it broke: Hawks' version added an element of sexual tension that was about the only thing missing from the original play and the 1931 film version, in which main characters Walter Burns and Hildy Johnson are men engaged in a symbiotic/exploitative professional relationship. Hawks transmuted Hildy Johnson into the persona of Rosalind Russell, who was entering her prime as an archetype of the ambitious, energetic woman. Coupled with Cary Grant's cheerful nonchalance as the manipulative editor Walter Burns, the material -- which was fairly scintillating on its own terms -- took on a fierce sexual edge that made the resulting film a 92-minute exercise in eroticism masquerading as a comic thriller. Russell may never have had a better role than Hildy Johnson; she became a screen symbol for the intelligent, aggressive female reporter, decades before Candice Bergen's star turn as television's Murphy Brown. Amid all of the jockeying for superiority, and the sparring between Grant and Russell -- which, in many ways, anticipates the jousting between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in Hawks' own The Big Sleep, made four years later -- His Girl Friday found room to enhance some of the issues from the original play, including cynicism about government, the justice system and freedom of the press. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
  • Even in 1937, Swing High, Swing Low's story was in need of a new coat of paint. The filmmakers made an effort, resetting the first part of the story in Panama, and that actually gets things off to a promising start. Stars Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray "meet cute" as Lombard's ship passes through a lock of the canal that soon-to-be-discharged soldier MacMurray is guarding. The sequence is charming and well staged, and it promises the film will have a certain degree of invention. That promise holds true for the first 20 minutes or so; even though the plot follows traditional lines, the Panamanian setting and a few tricks here and there keep it lively. Soon, however, the screenplay starts to sink down to the predictable, and as the plot machinations kick in, it becomes creaky and unconvincing. By the time the finale arrives, they audience feels they have all been there before and know exactly what is going to happen. Fortunately, Lombard and MacMurray are on hand to keep our interest, which they do to an amazing degree. They can't make the film any better than average, but they do a great job of holding our attention. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Made for Each Other shouldn't really work as well as it does. There's a third act change-of-gears that is so wrenching that it should throw the whole film off course, and it's followed by some changes-of-heart that are pretty hard to take. Fortunately, before this happens, Made has built up such good will for the characters that most viewers will accept the abrupt melodrama. Before that point, writers Jo Swerling and Frank Ryan have done a wonderful job of pulling the viewer in to the lives of young marrieds James Stewart and Carole Lombard. Even though the situations the couple finds itself in are certainly familiar, they're well handled and given just enough individuality to seem fresh. There are marvelous little touches in the dialogue, nothing poetic or meaningful, but little turns of phrases that make the characters live and breathe. All this would mean little if the actors portraying the couple were not Stewart and Lombard, each of whom turns in a performance that is absolutely pitch perfect. More importantly, they share a palpable chemistry; one really does believe that these two characters were made for each other. The supporting cast is also first rate, and John Cromwell's direction is appropriately sensitive, helped enormously by Leon Shamroy's gorgeous but unobtrusive cinematography. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • That Uncertain Feeling is a bubbly and effervescent concoction, a champagne cocktail that packs a nice, gentle wallop. As is often the case, Ernst Lubitsch is exploring the terrain where sex, marriage, and money all meet -- and while this meeting makes for rough going for the participants, it's all a joyride for the viewer. Walter Reisch and Donald Ogden Stewart's screenplay is beautifully structured and filled with witty banter and clever observations; helped by Lubitsch's unerring hand, it also easily takes the full measure of its characters with the minimum of fuss, so that a simple act like moving a party guest or hiding a particular vase is both amusing and meaningful. As for the cast, Merle Oberon is not quite up to the demands of the project -- she tries hard, but the effort shows -- though she still comes off more than acceptably overall and quite nicely in many places. Melvyn Douglas, on the other hand, is pitch perfect, sailing through the part with ease but hitting every note dead-on, whether manufacturing a masculine chuckle that is both appealing and irritating or finding the courage to slap his wife as she demands. Eve Arden is a delight in a small part, but the real comic jewel is provided by Burgess Meredith, playing his misanthropic pianist as a Mephistophelean leprechaun. His laser beam eyes piercing at the slightest provocation, Meredith's creation is both scary and hilarious, and gives the film the punch that makes it special. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • In his later years, songwriter Irving Berlin became incensed when anyone mentioned the name of this rather standard-issue comedy. Originally conceived as a Berlin musical extravaganza, it changed drastically after Douglas Fairbanks signed on as leading man and the public began showing a marked disinterest in musical films. In the end, only one song remained ("When the Folks High-Up Do the Mean Low-Down," hardly one of Berlin's brighter efforts), which benefits greatly from the vocals of Bebe Daniels, brassy June MacCloy and a young Bing Crosby. The story is inconsequential, which would be alright if the dialogue contained wit and effervescence; sadly, it fizzles when it needs to sizzle. The cast, however, is good, with Fairbanks in fine trim, using his considerable star presence to good effect, and he has very good chemistry with Daniels (who looks smashing). MacCloy is also fine, if undistinguishable from any number of others who could have played her role, and Edward Everett Horton is his usual dependable self. The sets and costumes are opulent and eye-filling, and the money that went into the film certainly shows up onscreen. Edmund Goulding's direction is so-so; if he can't reconcile the film's different tones and styles, it's also true that no director probably could. Reaching for the Moon is a bit of a mess, but those in the mood for an old fashioned, silly romantic comedy/farce will find it moderately enjoyable. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • The Black Pirate was unpopular with critics on its release, but it is remembered today for its fine production design and innovative use of an early version of Technicolor. The color shoot required larger than usual amounts of lighting, presenting a unique challenge for set designer Carl Oscar Borg; the cumbersome camera limited the types of shots available to director Albert Parker and cinematographer Henry Sharp. Still, Parker and company managed to keep the film visually interesting and the action sequences fast-paced. Pirate is also notable for its point-of-view editing, and its unusually frequent use of intertitles to convey dialogue. Producer-writer-star Douglas Fairbanks hoped that the film would be his comeback vehicle, rescuing him from ponderous epics and lightweight comedies. Despite its brisk pace and persistent good humor, however, Pirate didn't provide Fairbanks with a receptive audience, though critics would grow to appreciate the film as some of his best work. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi
  • Rudolph Valentino is at his most natural and appealing in this swashbuckler. He wears the period costumes, from the Cossack uniforms to the formal French jacket and trousers, as if they were his second skin, moving in them with a dancer's grace and casual sexuality. His Vladimir Dubrovsky is played with wit, humor, and humanity -- a revelation when compared to the stiff posturing of much of his earlier work. In addition, the star is helped at every angle: The story is action-packed and entertaining, the direction intelligent, and the cinematography (courtesy of George Barnes) is some of the most poetic of the silent era (in addition, the banquet scene contains one of the most impressive tracking shots of the 1920s). The delicately beautiful Vilma Banky is a fetching co-star, and the support (especially Louise Dresser as the worldly Czarina) is excellent. The Eagle was under-appreciated in its day and made only a fair amount of money. Nowadays it is recognized as a great example of film making in the 1920s, although it's also not revived often enough. Those who have seen the beautiful restoration with the Carl Davis score can consider themselves fortunate, indeed. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi
  • The second of Monogram's "East Side Kids" programmers was directed by Joseph H. Lewis and his deft hand is easily detectable. No, this quasi-horror comedy is no forgotten masterpiece -- how could it be with those mugging, language-mangling East Side Kids/Bowery Boys? -- but Lewis does employ a couple of interesting camera angles and obviously attempts to compose a scene with a sense of esthetics, a far cry from "one take" Monogram hacks like William Beaudine or Phil Rosen. Lewis cannot do much with the Kids themselves, of course, and they are mainly left to fend for themselves, but Minerva Urecal makes a creepy housekeeper (she even has a dead "Rebecca" to moon about) and ingénues Inna Gest and Dave O'Brien both perform up to their potential, minor as it may have been. Screenwriter William Lively should perhaps be forgiven for not only plagiarizing Daphne DuMaurier but also, in one or two instances, James Whale's The Old Dark House (1932) --plagiarism, after all, being the sincerest form of flattery -- and with a little help from the casting department, the identity of the killer comes at least somewhat as a surprise. As for the East Side Kids themselves, they remain purely a matter of taste. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
  • Mixing murder and comedy successfully requires a very careful hand, something that is lacking in Behave Yourself. Clearly wishing to be a mixture of Arsenic and Old Lace and The Thin Man, Behave falls far short of its goals. One of the reasons for this is simply its casting. Farley Granger is a good looking leading man and when handled correctly is capable of giving a pleasing comedic performance, but he's no Cary Grant or William Powell, who could naturally fall into this kind of part and through sheer charm and presence make it work. AndShelley Winters, while capable of some very fine acting in the right circumstances, can also easily turn into an annoying and irritating persona, which she does here. George Beck's slipshod direction doesn't give them the guidance they crucially need, nor can he conjure up that difficulty mixture of laughter, suspense and quirkiness that is called for. Beck isn't helped by his self-penned screenplay, which strains far too hard for laughs and ends up falling back on some tired (even for the period) mother-in-law jokes. That said, Behave does have the blessing of a marvelous supporting cast, and the likes of William Demarest, Hans Conreid, Elisha Cook, Jr. and Sheldon Leonard keep the film afloat. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Lavishly praised upon its initial release, time has somewhat dimmed the luster of Becky Sharp, which is more important for its historical significance (as the first feature film shot in three-strip Technicolor) than for its place in the development of cinematic drama. This is not to say that Sharp is a bad film, merely that its virtues are not as impressive as they were in 1935. Chief among those virtues is its stunning color photography (which is noticeably absent from many prints, which reduce the vibrant, vivid palette of the original to dull, muddy hues). The riot of color is glorious and used to very good effect by director Rouben Mamoulian, who starts the film out with a very restrained use of color, then gradually introduces different tints and shades until the screen explodes with color. Mamoulian does a marvelous job with the visual aspect of the piece and he's in fine command of the performances; he is less successful, however, at covering the flaws in the screenplay, which reduce the Thackeray novel to a Cliff's Notes version that rushes over the nuances and complexities of the characters and their situations. In the title role, Miriam Hopkins delivers a bravura performance; it anchors the film, but it also is a bit of an acquired taste. Her Becky lacks subtlety, and this will put some off; others, however, will be mesmerized by the power and conviction she brings to the role and the manner in which she dominates the entire picture. However, even those who may have qualms about her performance should be suitably impressed by the depth of sorrow, desperation, and heartbreak she exhibits after losing the one real love of her life. Sharp has its imperfections, but it's still an interesting and visually lovely film. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Nothing Sacred is among the best screwball comedies of the 1930s, and one of the few to have been filmed in Technicolor. Carole Lombard and Fredric March lead a strong, versatile cast, and William Wellman's crisp direction keeps the story brisk and peppy. Screenwriter Ben Hecht gives the story an unusually sardonic edge, with fine dialogue and interesting secondary plot twists. Overall, the film plays well for current-day audiences, and the New York location gives the film a distinctive visual texture. One amusing bit of irony is the name and profession of Oliver Stone, the character played by Walter Connolly, a newspaper editor willing to alter facts to fit his needs. Nothing Sacred was released in 1937, nine years before the birth of future screenwriter/director Oliver Stone. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi
  • His Double Life is an amiable enough way to pass a little bit of time, although modern audiences are perhaps going to find it a bit too tame. Based upon a story which has been adapted to the stage and to film several times, the plot is one that by now will come across as somewhat predictable and more than a bit farfetched. Credibility, of course, does not have to be a major concern in a comedy, provided that the tone of the piece allows for a bit of a flight of fancy and that the dialogue and characters are engaging enough. Life's dialogue is diverting, but it doesn't sparkle as brightly as one might wish, and the same could be said of its characters. This isn't due to the performers, for both Roland Young and the lovely Lillian Gish turn in worthy performances. Young is occasionally a bit too wan, but Gish's timeless charm more than makes up for his momentary lapses. Arthur Hopkins' direction could be sprightlier in places, but it is not damaging. Overall, it's a pleasant, though not noteworthy, little film. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • A send-up of temperence dramas -- a genre for which you know W. C. Fields felt not an ounce of sympathy -- and Northern adventure stories, this W. C. Fields short is one of the stranger, more surreal movies in the comic legend's output (and that's going some, to which anyone familiar with Never Give A Sucker An Even Break can attest). Practically every shot and line is a comedic barb, aimed at the melodramatic sensibilities of the audiences of the time -- and the presence of gawky George Chandler as the wastrel son only adds to the level of absurdity being bounced around the tiny cabin and the 18-minute confines of this picture. It probably helped in appreciating it for one to have come out of the era in which it was made, but the passage of seven decades has only added to the surreal nature of the comedy, all aimed at puncturing a lot of overblown dramatic and philosophical notions of its era. By its description, it might seem like little more than a comedic sketch with a few extra flourishes, but in many ways -- along with The Dentist -- The Fatal Glass of Beer was Fields at his most "out there" and uninhibited. And he is the dominant personality here, even if Clyde Bruckman -- a veteran gagman who worked for another two decades, recycling a lot of the same jokes and gimmicks -- was the director. Fields was not only the star but -- big surprise -- co-authored the screenplay as well. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
  • Although the cynical Nikolai Gogol stage play on which it is based would seem an unlikely vehicle for a musical comedy, The Inspector General is one of Danny Kaye's best and most energetic films. The production is held together by the steady work of veteran director Henry Koster, who was probably happy to be working on a Warner Bros.-sized budget rather than at his usual cash-strapped Universal. In his lesser work, Kaye often veered his buffoon act into self-parody. Here, he benefits from Koster's control, from the solid supporting work of such character actors as Walter Catlett and Walter Slezak, and from the songs of Johnny Mercer. Russian literature purists will likely object to the liberties taken with the source story, but fans of Kaye won't notice. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi
  • Charles Chaplin's first feature-length film pairs his Tramp character with an orphan boy, forging a life together in a slum reminiscent of Chaplin's childhood London home. Finding humor in the extreme harshness of the Tramp's impoverished existence with his plucky adopted foundling, Chaplin turns the pair's survival into a series of comic set pieces depicting such events as their scheme to sell windows and their daily breakfast rituals. Coordinated in their movements and well-matched in their temperaments, the Tramp and the Kid are the perfect pair, underlining the potential for tragedy when the child welfare authorities step in. Still, having revealed the Tramp's paternal devotion in a bravura chase scene and a whimsical dream sequence, Chaplin reunites the redefined family for a happy ending. Chaplin overcame First National's resistance to his desire to make a dramatic comedy, and he wrote, directed, and starred in a major success. Shot over nine months and accompanied by a score composed by Chaplin himself, The Kid became an critically hailed international hit, launching Jackie Coogan as a major child star. With a blend of social realism and finely tuned physical comedy, Chaplin infuses The Kid with a pathos and sweetness that would later mark one of his greatest features, City Lights (1931). ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
  • I'm from Arkansas is strictly from hunger, the type of low budget, low-down programmer that modern audiences watch and wonder how it ever got made. Of course, it's unlikely that the creators had anything on their mind other than filling up an hour or so of screen time with as little effort as possible. With that in mind, screenwriters Joseph Carole and Marcy Klauber came up with an idea -- a pig has a whole bunch of piglets, which draws attention to the small Arkansas town in which they reside -- and then just let the "plot machine" run its course in as simple and unobtrusive a manner as possible. The dialogue serves no purpose other than to set up a "joke," establish stereotype (for it would be stretching it to call any of the roles "characters") and, most importantly, provide some slim reason for a musical number. And it is those musical numbers that provide the only real entertainment in Arkansas (aside from the occasional snide remark from the reliable Iris Adrian). Fans of Mary Ford will spot her as part of the "Sunshine Girls" trio (and relish her short duet with Jimmy Wakely during "You Are My Sunshine." Carolina Cotton does her always interesting yodel routine in a couple of numbers, and the Pied Pipers (sans Jo Stafford) lend their smooth harmonies to a couple of tunes. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Jimmy Stewart was one of the screen's finest and most reliable performers, and it's the rare film that his presence doesn't redeem, but even his presence can't make Pot o' Gold anything more than barely passable. The story is just so much silliness, a very weak plot that exists to string along a few so-so musical numbers. Granted, this is often the case with musical films, but the better ones make sure that the songs are worth waiting for, that the dialogue has some snap and/or sparkle to it, and the characters are engaging. Gold is not so lucky. It doesn't even have performers with a real knack for musicals as its leads, for Stewart's voice is thin and he doesn't have the innate flair that musical performing demands. Paulette Goddard comes off a bit better musically, but she's no Ann Miller. Both Stewart and Goddard do the best they can with the dramatic demands of their parts, but there's absolutely no chemistry between them. George Marshall's direction is workmanlike but uninspired, and only one musical number -- "Broadway Cabellero" -- is staged with any real distinction. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Bowery Blitzkrieg is almost more valuable as a sociological artifact than it is as a movie -- that fact might have astounded producer Sam Katzman, who thought he was delivering an hour's worth of entertainment to a couple of million viewers paying 25 or 50 cents a piece (probably for whatever the "A" feature was that this was paired with); but it makes watching Bowery Blitzkrieg our pleasure. It is entertaining, to be sure, but it's also a cut above the typical East Side Kids movie in its depth, and little touches in the writing of the characters and the nature of the plot -- all of that could be a result of the fact that it was one of a handful of East Side Kids films to be co-authored by future Oscar-winning screenwriter and producer Carl Foreman. Bowery Blitzkrieg is almost eerie in its mixing of settings, genres, and atmosphere. It takes place in a bleak urban environment, the slums of New York's Lower East Side; but it also possesses an almost wide-eyed, bushy-tailed vision of the decency of people. The tough young Irish cop on the beat (Warren Hull) has a heart of gold and a soft spot for kids on the edge of delinquency; his mother (Martha Wentworth) takes in a tough, two-fisted charity case in the guise of Muggs McGinnis (Leo Gorcey); and even the doctor who sees to Bobby Jordan's injuries is so sympathetic, and giving of his time, that he arranges to have a radio brought into his hospital room so Jordan's character can listen to the Golden Gloves fight. Couple that with the sleazy activities of the villains, who are driven by naked greed, and one gets the hint of a social message -- perhaps anti-greed, but also anti-capitalist (which would have fit in with Foreman's sensibilities from that period). One also gets an interesting image of how Americans wanted to see themselves on the eve of World War II -- Katzman was in the business of making popular entertainment and giving audiences what they wanted, and the fact that he was able to sustain the East Side Kids series across dozens of entries for five years is testimony to his ability in that area. Bobby Jordan's Danny Breslin, whose hitting the books gets him on the wrong side of his tough friend Muggs McGinnis (Leo Gorcey), is a quintessential pop-culture "type" in movies of this era -- the good kid, who, so his detractors said, is studying "so he can be president." Leo Gorcey's Muggs McGinnis is his opposite, the good kid who doesn't recognize his own decency until it's almost too late. These portrayals, put forth breezily in the hands of director Wallace W. Fox, make Bowery Blitzkrieg as much a document of their time and the sensibilities of the audience for which it was made as, say, the Dr. Christian movies at RKO or any other popular "B" pictures of their era. Sharp-eyed viewers may make note of the presence of Pat Costello, the brother of Lou Costello, as Muggs' trainer, veteran character actress Minerva Urecal as the reform school matron, and, in one of his earliest screen roles, tough-guy character actor Dick Ryan as the police lieutenant. And sharp-eared viewers may notice a very funny topical joke in the scene where Huntz Hall pedals Leo Gorcey on a bicycle and Gorcey asks why he doesn't sing "On a Bicycle Built for Two" -- "I'm not a member of ASCAP," Hall replies, a reference to the fact that the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) kept a tight lid on the use of songs in movies in those days. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
  • An early sound adaptation of Shakespeare, As You Like It originally was of interest for the chance to catch Elisabeth Bergner's portrayal of Rosalind, which was much acclaimed on the stage. Nowadays, Like is much more likely to be watched due to the presence of a very young Laurence Olivier in the role of Orlando. It's interesting to watch Olivier, acting Shakespeare in a film over which he did not exercise control and in a role which does not offer the actor the chance to stretch his dramatic prowess to a significant degree. Orlando is a perfectly fine role, with some very nice speeches, but it's not the dominating figure that Olivier and other classical actors yearn to play. His performance is quite good, yet not as good as one wishes; one gets the feeling that the actor isn't totally committed to the character. Bergner is another matter. Some partisans praise her performance and give her exceptionally high marks, but most will find her mannered; most will also find her portrayal of a boy to be unconvincing, to say the least. Still, there is a special quality about Bergner that impels one to watch her, even if one is not "buying" what she is doing. The supporting cast is good, the direction is dull, and the adaptation is fine, even if the parts of Jacques and Touchstone have suffered from too much editing. Jack Cardiff and Hal Rosson provide atmospheric cinematography, although working together seems to have hampered their inventiveness a bit. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • The Racketeer is an early talkie, and it suffers quite a bit from that. In 1929, the coordination of sound and picture still required limited motion from the camera; so The Racketeer's impact is muffled quite a bit from its stodgy presentation. Essentially, the camera plops down in one place for an extended scene, which would be fine if the dialogue involved were lively or if the picture were a character study requiring a degree of intimacy. Unfortunately, The Racketeer is a gangster film, which demands considerably more action and motion than we get here. For its time, The Racketeer was probably an engaging story line, and it does have some interesting aspects. We've all seen gangsters with soft sides, but Robert Armstrong presents a truly likeable, gentle racketeer, and the cat-and-mouse game the police and gangsters play is amusing. Ultimately, though, there's very little done with the story, and the finale lacks the emotional impact it clearly was intended to have. Of the cast, Armstrong makes a good impression, although he's rarely given the opportunity to display the character's darker side. Carole Lombard is not as sure and secure in this performance as she would be in so many later ones, coming across as forced at times, but when she's "on," she's quite good. As the third corner of the triangle, Roland Drew is lifeless and boring, making one wonder why Lombard cares for him. All in all, The Racketeer is acceptable, but nothing special. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • The inimitable and uniquely charming Rosalind Russell makes Never Wave at a WAC a pleasantly diverting way to pass a couple of hours. Russell's contribution to WAC's success is impossible to overestimate, for without her commanding presence, nimble way with a one-liner, willingness to throw herself into any physical demands the comedy requires and ability to turn a double-take into a very peculiar double-and-a-half-take, the film would be seriously deficient in genuine laughs. Russell is not the whole show: Marie Wilson's dumb blonde routine provokes quite a few chuckles, and Paul Douglas, with his ability to be both tough and a softy combined with a finely honed sense of comedic playing, scores heavily. But without Russell to play off of, Douglas would be working in a void, and Wilson's part is too much of a supporting role to fill in were a lesser star in Russell's place. The screenplay isn't bad, mind you, but it's pure nuts-and-bolts, the kind of vehicle that's put together in the way that it's put together because the writers know that Russell's velvet-with-ice voice is going to take the basic they give her and play it for all its worth. Even with Russell, WAC threatens to run out of steam -- but whenever it starts to, Russell girds up her loins and puts it back on track. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Monogram Pictures' Jane Eyre (1934) dates from the short-lived period in which the low-rent Hollywood studio tried its hand at filming literary classics and also reached out beyond the confines of its contract players to engage such stars as Colin Clive. It's about as sincere an effort, if not quite as successful, as William Cowan's version of Oliver Twist (done at the same studio the previous year), though with a short running time, it is rather rushed, with none of the psychological depth of Robert Stevenson's 1944 version of Jane Eyre, starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine. After an introductory sequence featuring ex-Our Gang (and future Broadway) star Jean Darling as young Jane and future director Richard Quine as an extremely obnoxious (and totally convincing) John Reed, nine chapters of the book and eight years in the title-character's life pass with the flipping of some pages onscreen at seven minutes in. We then meet the grown-up Jane Eyre, played by Virginia Bruce, who does a surprisingly good job, given the limitations of the production, which, at early moments in the film, seems more like "Scenes from Jane Eyre." The direction is at times very arch and the camera work flat and unimaginative, at least until Edward Rochester is introduced. Few of Colin Clive's movies, apart from the two Frankenstein films that he made at Universal, and perhaps Christopher Strong, are extant today, and it's fascinating to see him in something other than those three movies. He shows greater range here, and more warmth, than one is accustomed to seeing from him in the Frankenstein films -- there's no question that he was a better actor than Christy Cabanne was a director of actors, because he quietly runs circles around the rest of the cast as he reads his lines or moves across the screen. There are some interesting scene transitions in which the camera suddenly becomes mobile and a scene involving a ball that tries hard to look like one of the most expensive in the history of Monogram. Otherwise, there is little here to recommend on artistic grounds, and other than its appeal to Clive's fans or to Charlotte Brontë completists, this Jane Eyre is merely a strange, diverting curio from an extremely unlikely studio. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
  • Her Favorite Patient is a moderately amusing little piece of fluff, but the kind of film the improbabilities of which will leave many modern viewers rolling their eyes. For example, I'm willing to grant that the character played by Ruth Hussey could indeed be a brilliant physician, but no doctor can be an expert in an as many areas as Hussey. And, more importantly, any doctor who actually was so brilliant would easily see through the scheme hatched by Charlie Ruggles and John Carroll to keep her in her home town rather than let her go on to fame and fortune in Chicago. Even with these improbabilities, Patient has sufficient appeal to make it worth a viewing, thanks especially to Hussey's well-turned performance. Her timing is quite good, and she knows how to handle the silly elements that are thrown her way; what she can't do is provide the kind of special star charisma that the part really calls for. She's technically excellent -- just lacking that extra "oomph." Carroll is a bit of a bore, but Ruggles is a delight as always and Ann Rutherford adds considerably to the affair. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • There's really nothing amazing about The Amazing Adventure (or Amazing Quest, as one of its several titles has it), but it does star Cary Grant, and that alone makes it worth watching. Grant was a one of a kind star, someone whose urbane personality would seem to limit him in his choice of roles but who somehow was able to handle a wide range of assignments. As at home in drama as in comedy, Grant here takes advantage of his beautiful comic timing and his ability to be both self-absorbed and utterly open to the world, to good effect. Indeed, Grant's personality is key to Adventure's success, because the part as written is rather mild and uninvolving. There's little of real interest to Ernest Bliss, a character we've encountered many times before under other names; but Grant makes him someone that makes us stop and take notice. The screenplay is a bunch of fluff and nonsense, filled with the kind of platitudes and warm-hearted portrayals of "the common folk" that make for good populist sentiment but don't convince as drama. Alfred Zeisler's direction is commonplace, but the supporting cast is worthy. Not a very good film, but Grant shines even with inferior material. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • A Star is Born showcased Janet Gaynor's last great performance and established one of the screen's most enduring tales of tragic love. A triumph of top-grade production values, writing, and acting, it represented the zenith of efforts from United Artists in the late 1930s, and remains entertaining and relevant when viewed by current-day audiences. This is one of the best films of the 1930s, particularly notable for the acting and the high level of technical work, as director William Wellman adroitly combines a rich visual style with the luminous performances of the film's stars. An honorary Oscar selected by a panel of cinematographers went to Howard Greene's Technicolor work, helping to change Academy rules two years later to recognize color cinematography as a separate category from Black & White. The film received seven Oscar nominations overall, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress for Gaynor, and Best Actor for Fredric March, winning for Wellman and co-scripter Robert Carson as "Best Original Story." ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi
  • This is William S. Hart's final contribution to the Western genre he had helped define a decade earlier. Hart plays a "tumbleweed," one of the last of the roaming cowboys whose way of life is about to disappear with the arrival of empire building settlers. It is mere days before the legendary Oklahoma land rush, when the fertile Cherokee Strip will be taken over by farmers and shop keepers. Later, due to his infatuation with lovely Barbara Bedford, Hart is more than ready to stake his claim, both for the land and the lady. Despite the potential inherit in the material, Tumbleweeds is not the epic story telling of empire building Hart may have envisioned. Nevertheless, Hart's version of the land rush, some of it filmed at the Universal back lot, remains second to none in scope and excitement and certainly influenced the many versions to come, including the award-winning Cimarron. Since the director, King Baggot, never did anything like this, before or after, the credit most likely belongs with Hart himself. As always, Hart goes for realism in both setting and characterization. His aging cowpoke is no one-dimensional hero and is not above breaking the law to get what he wants. The supporting cast is equally well appointed, with Lucien Littlefield solid as the comic sidekick, Richard R. Neill and J. Gordon Russell properly menacing as the villainous "sooners," and Barbara Bedford, mature and beautiful, as the heroine. Tumbleweeds failed to deliver the hoped-for business and Hart, distressed at having to compete with showmen like Tom Mix and Hoot Gibson, chose to retire. He was back on the screen in a filmed prologue to the 1939 re-release of Tumbleweeds, however, proving perhaps only that talkies were not this rather bombastic Victorian stage actor's true métier. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
  • With his overpowering charisma and deep, captivating voice, Paul Robeson leaves a haunting impression as the conniving, power-mad Brutus Jones in this film adaptation of the Eugene O'Neill play. While African-American critics of the day condemned the story's stereotypes (even while the African-American community itself embraced the film and Robeson), the truth is that none of the characters are really sympathetic, and that especially goes for Dudley Digges as slimy trader Smithers, the only important white member of the cast. The most unsympathetic character of all is Jones, who doesn't care whom he swindles, tricks, or murders to work his way up to influence and wealth. But as hateful as Jones is, Robeson also makes him fascinating. When the Emperor Jones creates his own downfall on the small Caribbean island he rules, Robeson's desperation and horror is chilling to watch (he's also helped in good part by the surreal cinematography of Ernest Haller, and the spooky, midnight-blue tinting of the black-and-white photography). For many years, The Emperor Jones was only available in truncated form because it had been edited for censorship reasons close to its release date (many of the racial epithets were considered extremely offensive). In 2001, the Library of Congress reproduced something close to the version that was originally released in 1933. As a result, this picture -- Robeson's talkie debut, and a minor classic -- can be seen with its full impact intact. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi
  • Reportedly seven years in the making, this silent adventure based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic 1912 novel was a watershed mark in special effects filmmaking. Willis H. O'Brien's stop-motion work, which would reach near-perfection in King Kong (1933), was much admired in its day and although primitive by modern standards remains visually engaging. So does Wallace Beery, complete with a theatrical beard, as Professor Challenger, whose theory of prehistoric dinosaurs surviving on a secluded plateau in the Amazonian jungle has made him the target of ridicule. Intrepid reporter Ed Malone (Lloyd Hughes) offers the professor a chance to redeem himself, and with Big Game hunter Sir John Roxton (Lewis Stone) and pretty Paula White (Bessie Love) in tow, they are off on a perilous expedition to South America. Paula, who is returning to the jungle in search of her missing scientist father, falls in love with the handsome reporter, much to the chagrin of Sir John. This triangle drama continues up the perilous climb to the plateau where Professor Challenger's theories are terrifyingly substantiated by all kinds of prehistoric fauna. Soon, a flesh-eating Tyranosaurus is attacking a family of more benign Triceratopses right in front of the astounded humans, who also have to contend with an erupting volcano, the dried-up bones of Paula's poor father, and the bizarre spectacle of stunt-man Bull Montana in a gorilla suit. But with the able assistance of a lovesick pet monkey, the expedition not only makes it safely down from the plateau but returns to England complete with a captured brontosaurus. Unfortunately, the beast is soon loose on Piccadilly Circus (where a theater marquee is advertising The Sea Hawk, 1924, also produced by First National), on Tower Bridge, and in sundry other picturesque London locations before apparently drowning in the River Thames. Originally released in 10 reels, The Lost World was cut to the bone in 1930 and it is this 62 minute version that exists today, beautifully restored by the George Eastman House. Missing, however, are subplots involving Alma Bennett as Lloyd Hughes' demanding London fiancé, Virginia Brown Faire as a Brazilian half-caste tempting Lewis Stone and a rendezvous with a tribe of cannibals. Left intact, however, are a few uncomfortable sequences with comic actor Jules Cowles appearing in blackface as Stone's pidgin-accented servant. Willis H. O'Brien's monsters may not frighten contemporary kids, with today's high special effects standards, but they certainly hold up well in comparison to some of the tacky creatures let lose in the 1950s and early 1960s. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
  • Career Girl is a B-movie musical, clearly done on the cheap and by the book, but offering a moderate dose of entertainment. Very clearly "inspired" by Stage Door, Career has absolutely nothing new to offer in the way of plot, and most of the incidents that litter said plot seem designed to do little more than fill time. The subplot involving the very sweet but untalented Sue might have been made into something interesting, but there's no depth (nor point) to it, and so it only provides a little climactic melodrama. Career does provide a decent showcase for the highly enjoyable vocalizing of star Frances Langford, whose creamy voice is always a pleasure to hear. The songs are standard-issue stuff, but they get the job done. Langford's no brilliant actress, but her down-to-earth personality makes her easy company to pass some time with. Character actress Iris Adrian steals a number of scenes with her brassy and sassy wisecracking, and Edward Norris has a few good moments as Langford's eventual love interest. Faring less well is Craig Woods. True, he's saddled with a poorly written part, but even so, his performance is dull in the extreme. Career is creaky and silly, but those who love old musicals should enjoy it. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • It's all too easy to make fun of creaky old melodramas, and The Villain Still Pursued Her does not accomplish this feat with much originality or style. Contemporary audiences may want to think of this as a precursor to the Mel Brooks school of moviemaking, in which the film is intended to be nothing but a silly riot of gags, but unlike the better films of Brooks, Villain is far often simply silly. It's all intended to be good clean fun, but the fun wears thin very quickly; this was a one-reel gag idea stretched to feature lengthy and the padding shows. Director Edward F. Cline has a certain amount of flair, but it's not strong enough to make the material work; more importantly, it's not VARIED enough to make the material work. He falls into a rut that makes the film, repetitious in nature, drag far too much. The cast is certainly game, but it's disheartening to see the brilliant Buster Keaton reduced again to a part that is far beneath his talents; he does a fine job, but one longs for him to be able to break loose and show what he's really capable of. Still, there are some fun moments amidst the silliness and those who don't mind a belabored premise may find it amusing enough. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Pride Of The Bowery was one only the third East Side Kids movie -- Huntz Hall was not yet aboard, but Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, David Gorcey (all of whom had appeared in the original play Dead End) and Donald Haines (an alumnus of Hal Roach and an ex-Our Gang member) were aboard, and Sammy "Sunshine" Morrison was present as Scruno, but that character wasn't in exactly the same role that he usually played in the East Side Kids films; even Bobby Stone, who would figure in the later films, was here. Director Joseph H. Lewis, who would do excellent work in film noir, thrillers, and westerns in feature films and television for another 20 years, moves the story forward at a breakneck pace without sacrificing any coherency or logic, and even leaving room for some good dramatic scenes -- within the context of a low-budget Monogram production that probably took less than 10 days to shoot, there are two especially good moments: When Gorcey's Muggs Maloney tries to shrug off the jam he is in, saying he's been in trouble before, and Bobby Jordan's Danny tells him, "Yeah, but not for stealing," the look on Gorcey's face is one of the best serious screen moments of his career; and the scene in which Muggs rescues Al (Ken Howell) from a falling tree is shot about as well as any action scene you'll ever see. Pride Of The Bowery is also a fascinating pop-culture document of its era, with a plot set in the Civilian Conservation Corps (or CCC), a Depression Era answer to the unemployment of the nation's youth -- recognizing that there were vital land reclamation and rural restoration projects that needed doing and hundreds of thousands of idled older teenagers and young men, the Roosevelt administration set up the CCC in 1933; over the next nine years, once their need was established, members signed up for six month hitches at $30 a month ($25 paid to their families) plus shelter and meals, doing land clearing and other essential projects. Thanks to the lingering popularity of the East Side Kids movies across the decade, Pride Of The Bowery is probably the last Hollywood artifact about the New Deal and the CCC that one can still see. [Note: The presence of Sammy "Sunshine" Morrison's character of Scruno as one -- and so far as we can tell, the only -- black member of the camp raises an interesting historical matter; the CCC had originally been integrated, but by the mid-1930's the organization was as segregated as any institution in the south, mostly because of local resistance, especially in the south, to integrated CCC camps, and the Roosevelt administration was forced to quietly restrict black enrollment in the program]. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
  • Originally a television musical that received a later theatrical release, The Pied Piper of Hamelin has been more widely seen than most television specials of the period, thanks largely to the fact that it was (a) filmed, rather than kinescoped, (b) shot in color rather than black and white, and (c) was allowed to become part of the public domain, allowing several different companies to release video versions of it. It's a mildly entertaining but somewhat strange musical. Clearly aimed at children, the musical is certainly wholesome and unobjectionable from a moral point of view, but the music -- based upon strains and themes from Norwegian classical composer Edvard Grieg -- is a little advanced for most young ears. The music does, however, amply reward more mature viewers for sitting through some tiresome dialogue scenes, an overabundance of rhymed dialogue, and overly broad characterizations. Viewers of all ages will likely be enchanted by Van Johnson, creating a Pied Piper that is appealing, sly, and very hard to resist; his performance in his other role, Truson, is a tad too conventional, but more than serviceable. Claude Rains is dependable (if hardly taxed) by his role as the villainous mayor (and does rather well with the catchy number, "Prestige,") and Kay Starr is in pretty good voice, if no great shakes as an actress. The film betrays its television origins in its extreme staginess, but director Bretaigne Windust keeps things moving at a fairly decent pace. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Monogram Pictures was about four years late with this already dated Ruritanian operetta. Today, the little songfest is more curious than entertaining and the same can be said for robust leading man Guy Robertson, whose only feature film appearance this was. Happily, the studio filled the minor parts with such scene-stealers as Franklin Pangborn, Joyce Compton, and Ferdinand Gottschalk, all of whom seemingly pretend to be in a much better film than King Kelly of the U.S.A. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
  • Till the Clouds Roll By is useless as biography -- but what else is new where Hollywood and musical biopics are concerned? The problem is that, as with so many other useless musical biographies, it's also of no interest as drama. To fashion the plot of the musical, the creators might as easily have simply written down every clichéd situation they could think of, put them in a fishbowl, and drawn them out to see what order they would put them in. Under the circumstances, it's hard to ask much of the actors; suffice it to say that Robert Walker does the best he can under the circumstances, Lucille Bremer does somewhat less than the best she can, and Van Heflin actually manages to rise above things a bit. Musically, of course, things are much brighter, with some terrific contributions from Judy Garland, Lena Horne, and Dinah Shore (and a much-too-short dance from Cyd Charisse and Gower Champion). Some of the other performers do not fare as well, such as Tony Martin and Kathryn Grayson; while Frank Sinatra certainly sounds good, his interpretation of "Ol' Man River" leaves a lot to be desired. Still, it's hard to beat Jerome Kern's music, even when presented in less-than-perfect circumstances. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Although Abbott & Costello are much loved by children, Jack and the Beanstalk is one of the few films they made that was specifically geared toward that audience. (It is also one of only two color films the comedy team made.) Those adults who are diehard fans of the duo will certainly enjoy Jack, but they may be a little disappointed, as the film keeps the two separated for great lengths of time and doesn't allow for as many opportunities for the discombobulated dialogue routines (a la "Who's On First") that are their strengths. While slapstick is always a part of a "Bud and Lou" flick, there's much more of it in Jack than is usual. There's also a great deal more music than one might expect, and it must be admitted that most of the tunes are rather more perfunctory than inspired. However, the fairytale framework does give Jack a more cohesive feeling than many of the team's outings, and there are a great many memorable moments, including an amusing exploding egg sequence and a very funny dance sequence between little Costello and the Amazonian Dorothy Ford. Although Abbott & Costello, as previously noted, are not allowed to engage in their usual repartee, they are otherwise much the same as usual, which will delight some and annoy others -- although the children at whom the film is aimed will undoubtedly fall into the former category. Shaye Cogan and James Alexander sing well but are otherwise quite dull, and the supporting cast in general is adequate rather but little more. But one doesn't watch an Abbott and Costello film for the supporting cast. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • While it has some other, smaller assets, The Duke Is Tops is worth seeing primarily to witness Lena Horne's screen debut. Looking as if she were just barely old enough to be out alone at night, Horne lights up the screen in her several musical numbers. In her dialogue sequences, Horne comes across as slightly tentative; she hasn't really learned how to play a scene yet, and some of the emotions come across forced. But she still has that special sparkle, and when she favors the camera with a song, she fills the screen with life and energy. (Her rendition of "I Know You Remember" is especially noteworthy.) In the male lead, Ralph Cooper is also a bit stiff, but he does have a certain charisma, and a number of the specialty acts -- such as Rubberneck Holmes and the Cats and the Fiddle -- are well worth experiencing. The plot and screenplay are fairly poor, although they do provide for a memorable medicine show sequence. Production values are on the skimpy side, and the whole look of the film is fairly chintzy, but as long as Horne and her cohorts are warbling and grooving, most viewers won't mind. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • A typical World War II morale booster, Private Buckaroo simply has everything. Everything, that is, except a plot. And who needs a plot when you get the sisters Andrews harmonizing two of their greatest hits, "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" and "Johnny Get Your Gun Again"? Not to mention the comedy antics of Mary Wickes, Shemp Howard and that quintessential nightclub entertainer Joe E. Lewis, the contortions of the energetic congregation The Jivin' Jacks and Jills, Peggy Ryan and the very young Donald O'~Connor and, best of all, Harry James and his band featuring Helen Forrest and a beautiful rendition of "You Made me Love You". With all this going on -- sometimes all at once! -- you barely have time to notice that the screenwriters actually did drag in a piece of nonsense about self-centered Dick Foran being tamed by Jennifer Holt. The daughter of veteran star Jack Holt and sister of Tim, the latter made her screen debut in this musical and manages to stay well out of the fray. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
  • Those in the mood for something nutty and screwy are most likely to enjoy Hi Diddle Diddle, a bit of tomfoolery that unfortunately isn't as off-the-wall as it wants to be. That's certainly not from lack of trying. Edmund L. Hartmann and Frederick J. Jackson's screenplay is cut from very loose cloth, and intentionally so: they writers want to have an "anything goes" kind of set-up so that they can throw in gags and nonsense. That's all well and good, but it takes a special kind of order to frame the kind of anarchy that they're after, and it's hard to achieve that order in a manner that gives the illusion of effortlessness. They don't achieve that, with the result that much of the humor feels forced. Nevertheless, there are some bits that are simply divine, including a running gag involving an actress who keeps showing up in every scene because she's the director's girl friend, and a sequence in which wallpaper depicting Richard Wagner and kin on a picnic suddenly comes to life and flees the din that the other characters are creating. The cast is certainly not to blame for the film's inability to be as daft and daffy as it wishes to be, for Billie Burke, Pola Negri Adolphe Menjou and the rest all give it their considerable best. Perhaps if director Andrew L. Stone had the sensibility of a Mel Brooks or a Groucho Marx, Diddle might have attained the zany heights it aims for. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • A so-so adventure film, The Big Trees is hobbled by a screenplay that seems to think that all it is required to do is introduce a situation and some characters and then put them through some paces. Not unnaturally, this approach leads to inconsistent characterization, which in this case means that the leading character -- as well as several supporting characters -- make some 180 degree turns that come from nowhere and are therefore not in the least credible. The dialogue is also of little help; it's virile where appropriate and syrupy when called for and faux-inspirational in places; but whatever form it takes, it's bland at best and wooden at worst. An imaginative director might have been able to overcome these flaws, but Felix E. Feist is competent when what is needed is someone with at least a bit of vision. The scenery, at least, is magnificent, although this comes with a caveat: there's an over-reliance on stock footage. Trees fortunately does have Kirk Douglas on hand to add some needed star power to the proceedings. Although he reportedly hated doing the film, he turns in a very fine performance, much more detailed than it had to be, and he's the best thing in the film. Edgar Buchanan is also of some interest, as is Patrice Wymore, although Eve Miller cannot do anything with a stiff of a part. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Were it not for the presence of a luminous Elizabeth Taylor, The Last Time I Saw Paris would be a well-made but instantly forgettable little weepie. Taking an F. Scott Fitzgerald story as its basis but turning it into a full-fledged soap opera, the Epstein brothers fill the screenplay with clichés and ask the actors to deliver dialogue that is sometimes cringe-inducing. Director Richard Brooks, not usually associated with romantic melodramas of this sort, does a very credible job with this material, making sure that the picture has the high-gloss look and feel common to the genre,\ and giving costumer Helen Rose ample opportunity to strut her stuff. More importantly, he guides Taylor past the more dangerous parts of the script, enabling her to turn in a solid, powerful performance that was her best work since A Place in the Sun. As her paramour, Van Johnson doesn't quite measure up, turning in a performance that is somewhat mechanical and surface-oriented, but Donna Reed does an excellent job as the vile but sympathetic sister. Throw in some sharp set designs and tasty cinematography and the Paris comes out as a fairly decent way to spend the afternoon, especially if you're in the mood to shed a couple of tears. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Doll Face is a thoroughly enjoyable little musical with an arresting opening. The viewer sees nervous Vivian Blaine preparing for a Broadway audition, seemingly the typical naïve, innocent amateur from the sticks; immediately, you assume you're in familiar Forty-Second Street territory. But after Blaine bowls the producer over with her audition, it turns out that she's no innocent hick -- she's a stripper that's been packing them in down on the Bowery. The rest of Doll Face doesn't quite live up to its opening, eventually settling in to a fairly standard romantic triangle, but it's still handled with enough wit and finesse to make it quite engaging. It helps that Jimmy McHugh's score, while not outstanding, is always hummable and very pleasant. It also helps that the cast is very appealing. Blaine, looking somewhat and occasionally acting somewhat like Susan Hayward, is in great form and has a tremendous chemistry with Dennis O'Keefe, who does an excellent job himself. (It's not O'Keefe's fault that he's saddled with a few lines regarding women and carpets that make modern viewers wince.) A young Perry Como is in good voice, and he and Martha Stewart do especially well with the amusing "Dig You Later" number. And Carmen Miranda brings her unique and special charm to the film; if her "Chico" number is not the showstopper that one expects from Miranda, it's not her fault. Breezy and interesting, with just a touch of sauciness, Doll Face is an easy way to pass an hour and a half. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • An uneven romantic comedy that shows its age for modern audiences, Honeymoon in Bali is nevertheless a moderately entertaining way to pass an hour and a half. As with many "battle of the sexes" comedies from the period, Bali promotes the idea that, all her own protestations aside, a career woman should see that her work is far less important than fulfilling an expected role with a man. Those who disagree with this premise will find Bali a bit difficult to get through; but those who agree with it, or at least are able to view it as a plot contrivance, should find sufficient pleasure in the film. The writers have supplied a more-than-decent amount of witty dialogue and some amusing situations, and for the first 2/3 have devised a plot that works well. They do seem to have lost control of things a bit in the final third, when the plot gets derailed by too many pointless complications. They also have included a child character who grates, especially in the too-cute-by-half performance of Carolyn Lee. But the rest of the cast is lovely, with Madeleine Carroll in tip-top form and Fred MacMurray persuasive as the man destined to be her partner. Allan Jones seems to have been hauled in primarily for his voice, which sounds quite good, but he handles his perfunctory role quite well, and Akim Tamiroff is a delight as a wise window washer ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Though not exactly the kind of picture that one would choose as a spirit-raiser, Scott of the Antarctic is nonetheless a moving and thoroughly captivating account of the ill-fated and tragic attempt by Captain Robert Falcon Scott to head the first team to reach the South Pole. It's a story filled with human drama, not leas because Scott and his men fail in their quest and pay for this failure with their lives. Indeed, there's so much potentially fascinating material here that it would be hard to NOT make a decent film from it, but director Charles Frend and writers Mary Hayley Bell, Walter Meade and Ivor Montagu have done far more than that. They have crafted a gripping, rending tale that demands the viewer's attention, even when it is recounting the tediousness of parts of the journey. Indeed, so well have the creators done their job that it's hard to tear one's eyes away from the screen at all. The writers have done an especially fine job with the dialogue, much of it taken from Scott's actual journal, which manages to delineate character and maintain personality without falling into excessive speechifying or archness. Scott is portrayed to a fare-thee-well by the tremendous John Mills, who work here is unimpeachable. Gorgeous if bleak cinematography is an invaluable part of the film's success. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • At 62 minutes in running time, and with lots of room for comic relief vignettes and portrayals, even as it tells a story of murder, suicide, espionage, and sabotage, Let's Get Tough! is brisk entertainment. It contains myriad characterizations that reflect some of the ethnicity, and script elements that do recall the texture of life in New York's poorer neighborhoods on the eve of World War II, particularly as embodied by Glimpy (Huntz Hall) and his long-suffering mother, and Robert Armstrong's brusk yet friendly portrayal of the veteran police officer. Even more important, it's briskly entertaining and has a message that's relevant 60 years later, as the United States faces a new national emergency, a war overseas, and the aftermath of another Pearl Harbor-type sneak attack. The first half of the movie captures the basic feelings of patriotism that motivated millions of people in the days after Pearl Harbor, as well as some of the changing racial sensibilities of the time -- Sammy "Sunshine" Morrison's Scruno, the black member of the East Side Kids, is treated with far more dignity and care than he would have been just a couple of years earlier. Additionally, the gang's attempted assault on Kino, whom they erroneously believe to be Japanese, is depicted as intrinsically wrong even if he were Japanese (which, as they discover, he is not). The film's messages about race and national heritage are somewhat mixed; the gang discovers that people who appear to be Japanese, or of Japanese ancestry, may well not be, and could even be friends, allies, and heroes. They also learn that as unfriendly as one group of Asians (the Japanese) might be, there are others (the Chinese) who are our allies; but there is no German-American character to balance the presence of Fritz Heinbach (Gabriel Dell) and his father (Sam Bernard) as spies and saboteurs. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
  • My Dear Secretary is an engaging little screwball comedy that, while far from a classic, promises a very decent amount of merriment. Secretary can be seen as a precursor to the Doris Day-Rock Hudson style of sex comedies that would become popular a decade or so later. Indeed, much of Secretarycould be taken and re-filmed with those stars and fit perfectly into their own films. However, Secretary doesn't have Doris and Rock, it has Laraine Day and Kirk Douglas -- and this is one of the reasons why it isn't quite as good a film as it could be. Neither star is bad, mind you, but they don't have the natural flair for this material that is required. Douglas tries too hard, and the effortless charm that is needed is sorely missed. Laraine Day gives off with one note and doesn't vary it sufficiently, becoming annoying in sections. Worse, without providing any greater character depth, she throws the story a bit off balance. Fortunately, the supporting cast is first rate and goes a long way to making up for the deficiencies of the star. Special praise is due Keenan Wynn's expert comic account of the best pal of Douglas, stealing scenes with ease and aplomb. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Little Men is a not-very-good adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's book, but taken on its own merits, it's an adequate film. Too much of the Alcott book has been stripped away, and what has been added is clichéd and trite, but even so there are some individual scenes that have sparkle and appeal. Still, much of the dialogue is of the teeth-gritting variety, especially when it (or the attitude beneath it) is so clearly out of sync with the time period and setting. There's also a "been-there-done-that" feeling to much of the film, due to the many "school teacher" films that viewers have been exposed to in the intervening years since its release. However, Men does have a lively performance from Jack Oakie, the kind of scene stealing role that the right actor -- which Oakie is in this case -- can take and really run with. There's also solid work from Kay Francis and a good youth turn from Jimmy Lydon. On balance, the cast helps to overcome its deficiencies, making Little Men moderately entertaining. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • The first screen adaptation of LI'L ABNER is fairly disappointing, but it does do one thing very well: capture the bizarre physical look of Al Capp's outlandish cartoon world. It's not just Granville Owen (a.k.a. Jeff York)'s muscle-bound, lantern-jawed, curlicue banged Abner either ; even the unrealistically squat, potato-nosed Mammy Yokum and outlandishly-bodied Daisy Mae look as if they stepped right out of the newspaper and onto the screen, and the settings are equally faithful. The cast's "rightness" goes beyond the physical; while the characters are, by design, lacking in depth, the cast captures their personalities very well. Unfortunately, they're working in the service of a trite screenplay that is successful at replicating Capp's dialect but not the flavor that informs it. Worse, it totally dispenses with the social and political satire that Capp brought to the strip and which gave it a great deal of punch. What is left is a standard issue, uninspired story that never comes to life. Albert Rogell's plodding direction doesn't help, although he is to be commended for casting the immortal Buster Keaton, even if it's in a part that doesn't allow him to shine very much. Abner has the right look; it's too bad its charms are too much on the surface. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Life With Father is yet another well-made film from the versatile Michael Curtiz, who probably directed more types of films well than anyone else in screen history. This is another "family values" film from the post-WWII era, with William Powell as the loving patriarch and Irene Dunne as the wife who understands her duties to gender traditions. One of the best reasons to watch is to see a young Elizabeth Taylor in an important supporting role. The film does not so much evoke the values of a bygone era as advocate them, and current-day audiences may have difficulty relating to its simplistic world view. As with nearly all of Curtiz' studio efforts, the production is first-rate, the performances strong, and the events fast-moving. The film is perhaps better remembered by reputation than by re-viewing, but it was one of Warner Bros.' top films of the era, and it remains a well-constructed piece of commercial filmmaking. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi
  • Terribly uneven but with a stirring climactic sequence that redeems many of its flaws, Our Daily Bread suffers most from being a film that puts ideology above dramatic considerations. The ideology is fine, even commendable, but it's presented in such a bald-faced manner, relatively free of nuance, that it frequently comes across as alternately naïve and laughable. Still, while it's a long way from the snappy repartee in All About Eve, Joseph Mankiewicz has managed to add a little seasoning to the dialogue, especially in the salty slang he supplies for Sally. This tarty role is played with obvious enjoyment by Barbara Pepper, and the potentially annoying Chris is handled with sensitivity and flair by John Qualen. Unfortunately, the all-important leads are given to two actors who seem to hail from the "gee whiz!" school of acting, and the overly obvious dialogue they are given doesn't exactly inspire them to dig deeper into their roles. Tom Keene does do reasonably well with his big scene during the dark night of his soul, and Karen Morley is good at conveying the requisite inner longing, but on the whole their work is substandard. Fortunately, director King Vidor scatters several visually impressive sequences throughout, and saves a genuine stunner for the final irrigation sequence. That segment -- with its expert use of editing and framing to achieve maximum dramatic tension and release -- is one of the most joyous pieces ever captured on celluloid. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Douglas Fairbanks' last all-out swashbuckler, The Iron Mask is not on the level of some of the star's earlier efforts, but it still is mighty fine entertainment. The story itself is a bit of a swan song, a follow-up to The Three Musketeers that takes place a decade later. Fairbanks can still perform feats of derring-do and he's still in good form, but the buckle swashes every so slightly less easily. Even so, there's plenty of adventure, fine set pieces that still pack a thrill and a lot of fun to be had. The silent (for the most part) film doesn't depend upon title cards; they're there, but they're used sparingly. Instead, director Allan Dwan displays his fine command of the silent medium to tell the story in clear and precise terms. The pacing is quite good, and there's a nice bit of flair to his direction -- not ostentatious, but packing a nice little wallop. Although William Blakewell overacts in the manner that too many people associate with silent film acting, the rest of Fairbanks' supporting cast does very well. Fairbanks himself is stellar, as usual: commanding, handsome, sensitive and just flamboyant enough to add an extra dimension to the role. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • The Paleface was one of the transitional films in Buster Keaton's career, made just before he switched from two-reel comedies to features. It displays Keaton's trademark intricate physical comedy -- for example, Keaton's hopping around while tied to a stake. From a cultural standpoint, it's notable among films of the early 1920s for presenting its Indian characters with some sympathy; the white oil barons are clearly the bad guys. Everyone, however, gets treated as a comic foil, sometimes in ways that might not appeal to current-day audiences. This is one of several highly regarded comedy collaborations between Keaton and writer/director Eddie Cline. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, when Keaton's career was in decline, Cline would go on to direct W. C. Fields in some of his best films, including The Bank Dick. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi
  • Although this film version of Thornton Wilder's classic (and, for its time, innovative) stage play tacks on a dreadful happy ending, the rest of the film is a faithful and moving adaptation of this American classic. Wisely dispensing with any attempt to "cinematize" the play's physical conceit (i.e., that it be performed with essentially no scenery and with props mimed), the movie, by necessity, has a more naturalistic tone to it. Since Wilder's masterwork is about the small moments that make up our lives, however, this is in no way damaging and, in some ways, adds more impact to the proceedings. Simplicity is the key to a successful Our Town, and Sam Wood directs with an appropriate delicacy and warmth. He's helped by a solid cast, headed by Martha Scott's incandescent Emily. The actress is vibrant without becoming overpowering, and her performance in the climactic scene evokes the honest emotion of the script without straying into weepy manipulation. A very young William Holden is not up to the task of matching her portrayal -- he's a little forced and lacks sufficient variety -- but he doesn't damage the film. The rest of the cast -- especially narrator Frank Craven and mothers Beulah Bondi and Fay Bainter -- are top notch. A further bonus is Aaron Copland's magnificent score, which, though it becomes slightly intrusive in one or two instances, possesses such beauty that one easily forgives it for making its presence felt. It has a few flaws, but, overall, this Our Town is a captivating experience. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Long unavailable due to a couple of highly successful remakes, the original screen version of Ben Hecht's and Charles MacArthur's 1928 Broadway hit remains perhaps the most faithful to it theatrical origins -- although, as an inside joke, several character names were altered to reflect the change in medium, e.g. "George Kid Cukor" and "Judge Mankiewicz." But Walter Burns (Adolphe Menjou) is still attempting to keep star reporter Hildy Johnson (Pat O'Brien) from leaving his place at the paper in favor of marrying the upwardly mobile Peggy Grant (Mary Brian). And poor Earl Williams (George E. Stone's), whose upcoming hanging drives the plot, is still more or less ignored while the tough reporters crack wise. The overlapping lines are much in evidence here and obviously not the invention of Howard Hawks, whose gender-switch remake His Girl Friday (1941) may be faster but not nearly as gritty. Menjou, who actually fits his bombastic role better than perhaps expected, was actually a last minute replacement when the original choice, Louis Wolheim, suddenly died. Menjou went on to win an Academy Award nomination for his efforts. Producer Howard Hughes drew mightily from the Warner Bros. stock company and every role, no matter how small, is filled with such notorious scene stealers as Edward Everett Horton as the prissy Bensinger; Clarence H. Wilson as the inane sheriff, and Mae Clarke as the self-sacrificing streetwalker Molly Malloy. In fact; Miss Clarke conveys the character's desperation skillfully. According to Mary Brian, The Front Page was this charming actress' favorite film. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
  • Speak Easily is noted today primarily because of the presence of Buster Keaton and fans of the incredible silent era clown will want to seek it out; however, they should be warned that, as with all of the talkies he made in which he starred, Easily is a big disappointment. That's not to say that it is bad or totally without merit. Granted, its plot is entirely too typical, the kind of misunderstanding-as-set-up-for-comedy that was ground out frequently but which, when not given an inspired treatment, usually came across as ridiculous; nevertheless, it does provide Keaton with a few opportunities to demonstrate his unique talent, most notably in a delectable drunk scene in which Thelma Todd also gets to show that she too knew her way around physical comedy. But most of Easily doesn't take advantage of the qualities that made Keaton a silent star; for the most part, it's the kind of role that any number of performers could have played. Easily is one of three pairings of Keaton and Jimmy Durante, and while it should be a match made in heaven -- Keaton's stoniness and Durante's exuberance being theoretically perfect foils for each other -- the two don't create sparks here. As an average comedy of the period, Easily is quite watchable; as a Keaton vehicle, however, it's a letdown. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • The word "lightweight" could be applied to Three Guys Named Mike, except that even that appellation might be too much for Mike to handle. Perhaps "featherweight" is a better choice. There is, of course, nothing wrong with lightness in a movie, especially a comedy; but it does help if there is some small weight attached to the film. Otherwise, it's liable to float away before one has noticed, which is essentially what happens with Mike.. There's so little to the film that one has a hard time keeping one's attention on it; the mind wanders, and soon one realizes it's been 5 or 10 minutes since one paid attention to the movie. It hardly matters, because -- except possibly for the decision as to "which Mike will she choose?" -- there's nothing that happens in the screenplay that requires a person's attention. Writer Sidney Sheldon would have been better advised to at least provide more amusing and engaging dialogue, if he wasn't going to bother with a more substantial story. Charles Walters' direction at least emphasizes speed, even if it's not particularly imaginative. There are some nice location shots, and some interesting "coming in for a landing" moments, but for the most part Mike relies upon its cast to sustain interest. Certainly Jane Wyman does her perky best, Van Johnson and Howard Keel are appealing and Barry Sullivan does what he can with the weakest of the Mike. They do manage to add a bit of sparkle to what is otherwise a fairly dull, if innocuous, little film. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Humor is clearly a personal matter, with what makes one person laugh uproariously leaving another person silent, but those who favor a "nutty" approach to comedy will find a great deal to like in Road Show. Sure, Show has its flaws. For example, the plot in some places is put together with spit and gum, and even when it's made of more solid stuff, it still isn't a work of art. But there's a joyous spirit to Show, a zany devil-may-care attitude that is very appealing, and very infectious to boot. The set-up is simple (and simply preposterous), and it wears a little thin, but it also provides ample opportunity for gags and shenanigans. The musical numbers are nothing special, but The Charioteers do a fine job with them, and the trio of credited directors keep Show moving at an appropriately lively pace. John Hubbard is fine as the man wrongly committed to an asylum, and Carole Landis is gorgeous and engaging as the carnival owner he hooks up with. But it's Adolphe Menjou who walks off with the film. Menjou is quite simply a fruitcake, and it's a treat to watch him having the time of his life, taking very seriously the extremely odd way his character has of looking at life. Menjou is crackers, and at its best, so is Road Show. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Second Chorus is one of the weaker Fred Astaire films -- largely because it doesn't seem fully committed to being about Fred Astaire. Astaire doesn't have to dominate a film, of course, as numerous films with the likes of Ginger Rogers, Bing Crosby, Rita Hayworth, and Judy Garland demonstrate; but if he's cast as the lead of a film, the filmmakers need to let him dominate. Unfortunately, Chorus was originally conceived as a vehicle for Artie Shaw, who ended up having a supporting role; but the writers kept enough of the old concept to hamstring Astaire, making Chorus a bit of a mess, script-wise. Astaire and Burgess Meredith also make an odd pair of pals, with the latter's slightly odd personality not meshing well with Astaire's smoothness. And while Astaire and Paulette Goddard are an interesting romantic pair, she's not dancer enough to fill the role as required. Fortunately, Goddard's appeal helps to overcome this flaw, and there are a couple of first-rate Astaire routines that do more than smooth over the movie's rough spots. Add in some fine playing from Shaw and his band (including a "jazz symphony" that definitely gets better as it goes along), along with an amusing turn from Charles Butterworth, and Chorus ends up decent, if uneven, entertainment. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • One of W.C. Fields' funniest short works, The Dentist delivers sly, antisocial laughs that are just as funny generations later as when they were first filmed. The picture was considered risqué at the time and still raises eyebrows, especially during an infamous bit with Elise Cavanna. The patient straddles the dentist and hangs from his torso as the drill bores deep into her molar, a hilarious and sinister scene rife with barely disguised sexual innuendos. The Dentist is full of wickedly bawdy humor like this, as well as Fields pouring out both physical and verbal abuse at the entire cast. Modern viewers who know W.C. Fields as little more than a familiar cultural archetype will be shocked by the magnitude of political incorrectness that the man was capable of, but what's more appealing is his razor-sharp timing and a riotous sense of the surreal. The Dentist is a thinking man's slapstick which celebrates rebellious spirit and a man's God-given right to bulldoze his way through life. Though he never takes a single drink onscreen, it's one of the purest distillations of Fields' distinctive comedy. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi
  • The Fabulous Dorseys is far from a fabulous movie, but it does have some fabulous moments. It's easy to pinpoint those fabulous moments: they happen whenever the dialogue stops and the music begins. Of course, it's natural for the numbers in a musical to be the highlights, but rarely is there such a discrepancy between the spoken and the played/sung. Also, viewers should be warned that Dorseys is not a musical in which the songs generally advance the plot; these are "numbers," interludes of beautiful music that do little to define character, progress the story or even (with some exceptions) create an emotion that is especially relevant to what is going on in the plot. Viewers should also be warned that not only is the dialogue bland (at best) and the plot contrived, but there's also a big problem with the lead actors: Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey can't act. Not even a little. And with the exceptions of Janet Blair, Sara Allgood, and Arthur Shields, there's precious little acting contributed by anyone else in the film, either. But if you're a devotee of great swing music, in Dorseys it is worth slogging through the non-musical portions just to hear the Dorseys and their instrumentalist buddies in top form, along with wonderful vocal contributions from Blair and Helen O'Connell. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • How a viewer reacts to The Perils of Pauline will probably depend to a large extent on his/her feelings about Betty Hutton. It's a star vehicle for the raucous comedienne, and as usual, she has the volume turned up to 11 and the energy to 12. Fortunately, however, Hutton does find some moments when she can lower her guard and let the audience see a gentler, more tender side, as in her charming rendition of the lovely Frank Loesser ballad, "I Wish I Didn't Love You So." The actress also makes "The Sewing Machine" an enjoyable romp, and if she pushes too hard in "Rumble, Rumble, Rumble" and "Poppa, Don't Preach to Me," the songs themselves are so well-crafted that they withstand the sometimes-rough treatment. Perhaps taking his cue from his leading lady, George Marshall has directed much of the film with an eye on speed, keeping the film moving at a brisk pace, which helps to add emphasis to those moments when things get a little "serious." John Lund is fine in a thankless part, but Constance Collier, William Demarest, and Billy De Wolfe come across quite nicely in their smaller but more engaging roles. Pauline plays fast and loose with historical fact -- not unusual for a Hollywood biopic -- and much of the script is rather routine, but on the whole it's an agreeable confection. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Michael Gordon's film adaptation of the Rostand classic seems to have been limited to a B-movie budget, but features an Oscar-winning performance by Jose Ferrer. The tale of the 17th century swordsman gifted with every quality but the courage to profess his love has frequently been filmed, and in this version Hollywood was attempting to transfer Ferrer's celebrated stage production to the screen. Ferrer, though often effective, apparently did little to tone down his performance for the screen, often hammily overplaying dialogue better served by a more naturalistic delivery. Yet in the play's well-known set pieces -- the opening duel which counterpoints his verse with swordplay, and Cyrano's rhyming catalogue of witty nose invective -- he's at his best. With the exception of Morris Carnovsky, he's surrounded by a surprisingly mediocre cast, particularly Mala Powers as Roxanne, an actress whose vapid presence tends to rob Cyrano's ardor of its credibility, and William Prince, who plays the heroic Christian with the all the passion of a nervous postal clerk. While the film's direction is undistinguished, Dimitri Tiomkin's energetic score is well suited to its spirit. ~ Michael Costello, Rovi
  • Rock, Rock, Rock! was the first of three juke-box movies starring Alan Freed, the legendary dee-jay who, as much as anyone else, played an essential role in putting rock 'n' roll on the map. It also happens to be a dreadful movie in most of the areas by which we usually judge a movie's worth -- among other shortcomings, the "plot" is thinner than tissue paper and the acting is barely on a level that would engender the description "amateurish"; what's more, and, seemingly fatally for a movie with those attributes, it never lets us forget that it is a movie. And, yet, for all of those flaws (and one has to see Tuesday Weld's performance to truly appreciate the awfulness that we're talking about), this is still a movie worth watching, as a popular culture and musical artifact of its time. If one concentrates on the musical acts, whose performances take up most of the movie's running time, one gets a sense of a telling moment in American cultural history, when rock 'n' roll captured the imagination of virtually the entire population below the age of 20, and even some of their parents to a certain degree -- and as this was the first full year of the rock 'n' roll boom, a lot of Black acts that would be swept aside later in the 1950's are featured as well. You sort of wish that someone would shove Alan Freed aside in the final performance segment so that we could see Big Al Sears, the jazz saxophone legend, in the center of the screen, but it's pretty cool just hearing him and seeing his band, and it was Freed who brought them aboard on his package tour. Later on, programmers would become more sensitive to racial and sexual sensibilities but here we get sexy, robust La Vern Baker, the elegant Moonglows, the spirited Flamingos, the beguiling Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, and the totally provocative and lusty Chuck Berry, duckwalking through "You Can't Catch Me", his guitar about as phallic looking a stage prop as anything seen on the screen this side of the bananas in a Carmen Miranda production number -- had a Black man ever before been permitted such a degree of sexual expression (and you can see the delightful, proud smugness on Berry's face, knowing what audience the movie was aimed at) in a movie intended for white audiences? Not to this reviewer's knowledge. The white acts -- even most of the dance bands -- are also pretty good, though there's only one here that matches the Black performers for sheer charisma, and that's Johnny Burnette doing "Lonesome Train". ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
  • The Broadway musical upon which this remake of Sunny was based was famous as a vehicle for the elfin charm of Marilyn Miller. It also boasted a winning Jerome Kern score, some of which has been kept in this version. Filling in for Miller is Anna Neagle, one of Britain's most noted musical stars of the period. It's worth catching Sunny for Neagle, a charming actress and excellent dancer who, while not possessed of the most stunning of voices, was quite at home expressing herself in song. Neagle carries Sunny as best she can, and it's a treat to see her, but there's no escaping the fact that the screenplay is far more than simply familiar: it's bruisingly, boringly familiar. The standard issue plot won't hold the attention of any viewer for more than a few minutes, and the lack of character development is also a hindrance. Fortunately, there are still the songs, especially the immortal "Who" and the title number. There's also the rubber-limbed Ray Bolger, setting the screen on fire every time he is given a chance to dance. There are also a couple of brief turns by Grace and Paul Hartman, a husband-and-wife dance team who were famous on the stage but who made few filmed appearances. The cast helps to keep one's interest in Sunny long after one's interest in the predictable script has waned. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • A modestly entertaining holiday film, The Great Rupert (often also known as A Christmas Wish) is not on a level with It's a Wonderful Life or The Bishop's Wife but it does have a certain charm. It also stretches things a little to call Rupert a holiday film; while part of the film does take place at Christmas, much of it is set after the season has ended. Still, it has enough of a connection to make the classification stick. Some may be bothered by the fact that Rupert on one level equates money and happiness. That isn't really the creators' intention, but they were rather artless in conveying the message, causing this confusion. More bothersome to some will be the lack of a first rate screenplay; Rupert is sweet and moderately engaging, but the script just barely gets by. Modern viewers used to sophisticated CGI animation tricks may also be put off by the title character. George Pal's stop motion animation is charming but undeniably jerky and, to eyes raised on Pixar, not totally realistic. If they can get past this, however, they will probably find Rupert a lovable little character. Even moreso is Jimmy Durante, who has one of his best screen roles in Rupert and who displays his unique talent to very good effect. Terry Moore and Tom Drake are only adequate, hampered by roles that are fairly dully written, but Queenie Smith is a lot of fun. Irving Pichel's direction is fine, hampered a bit by budget constraints but accomplishing what it sets out to do. Rupert is a nice change of pace from the Christmas films one has seen dozens of times -- although it's not one that bears dozens of viewings itself. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • The plot for Road to Bali is pretty thin stuff, even for one of the "Road" pictures. This does, however, place more of a burden on our trio of stars and on the quality of the jokes and songs; while there's nothing really wrong with any of these elements, things still don't really come together to make Bali the boffo fun that it wants to be. Even moreso than in previous entries in the series, there's an abundance of self-referential humor and light genre parodies -- and comic cameo appearances are taken to a bit of a ridiculous extreme. But even so, Bali is amiable and undemanding fun, and if Bob Hope and Bing Crosby don't have the inspired lunacy that they had in Road to Morocco, they still work like a well-oiled machine (with Dorothy Lamour as the lever that often gets them started). Bali also benefits from being shot in Technicolor. There aren't any real location shots, just studio sets, but they positively drip with rich, savory color. Lamour gets the best song, "Moonflowers," and Crosby does quite nicely with the mediocre "To See You." Not the best "Road" show, Bali nonetheless is enjoyable and occasionally very funny. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Royal Wedding is an excellent example of a film the strengths of which are so strong as to make its considerable weaknesses almost irrelevant. Among those weaknesses, the most problematic is the screenplay. Alan Jay Lerner's story is commonplace, even if set against the backdrop of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. The dialogue is generally good, but the plot offers little in the way of suspense or surprise. The real sizzle and fire come from elsewhere: the cast, the score, and the dancing. Fred Astaire is marvelous, demonstrating in his musical numbers that no other male performer -- even those with technically superior voices -- was better at interpreting a song. His dance numbers here include two of his best: the "Sunday Jumps" gym sequence with the classic hat rack duet and the much heralded "You're All the World to Me," in which he dances up the walls and across the ceiling of his room. Jane Powell is not his equal as a dance partner, but she comes off very well in the amusing "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life." Powell also gets to handle the beautiful and unfortunately overlooked ballad "Too Late Now," which contains a melody of admirable purity. Stanley Donen's direction is assured, glossing over the film's shortcomings and knowing how to showcase its assets. Royal Wedding may fall just shy of being a classic, but its highlights are among the best the musical film has to offer. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • By all rights, The Time of Your Life really shouldn't work as a film. Almost the entire action of the play occurs on one set, which usually is an anathema to the cinema. It's filled with dialogue that is heightened and artificial, which is difficult to pull off onscreen, and the plotless character study features a cipher at its center, which often leaves a big hole in the middle of a film. Yet, in Time, the limited setting doesn't feel stodgy and confined, thanks to subtle little tricks by master cinematographer James Wong Howe; the unrealistic dialogue comes across as flavorful, thanks to the expert cast that handles it with commitment and care; and James Cagney projects such warmth and overflowing humanity that most viewers won't realize -- or care -- that they know essentially nothing about the character that holds the entire movie together. "Warm" and "human" also apply to the movie as a whole, which is one of the most joyous expressions of life one is likely to encounter; joyous, but not cloyingly sentimental. While the work finds the good, the brave, and the admirable in its characters, there's still a thin vein of melancholy running underneath that enriches it considerably. As noted, James Cagney's performance is crucial, but the entire cast is splendid, with exemplary work from William Bendix, Jeanne Cagney, James Barton, and Wayne Morris, among others. The ending, altered from William Saroyan's original, is a bit out of place, but this doesn't keep Time from being a delightful, engaging, and thoroughly appealing film experience. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Although The Greeks Had a Word for Them is hardly a classic (and was better realized when it was reinvented as How to Marry a Millionaire), it's an enjoyable little trifle, especially if one is in an undemanding mood. Sidney Howard's screenplay features enough amusing situations and fairly snappy dialogue (when one can make it out; this is till the early days of talkies, after all) to provide decent entertainment, and Lowell Sherman directs the proceedings efficiently if unremarkably. Much more important than the script or direction is the cast. Joan Blondell, less brassy and brash than usual, is a sweet but saucy little treat. Madge Evans manages to be a noble gold digger, making that odd combination work somehow. And Ina Claire is simply a hoot as the conniving man hunter whose selfishness should be appalling but is amusing instead. David Manners is a bit bland and annoying, but director Sherman gets actor Sherman to turn in a fine performance. The lack of morality in this pre-Code ditty is surprising and may bother some, but others will find it refreshing for a film of this era. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • A lovely screwball gem that, while not obscure, is also not as widely known as it well deserves to be, The Rage of Paris is a great antidote to the blues. Indeed, this frothy, bubbly, escapist delight is so charming that the only real response is to totally surrender. Sure, there are a few flaws. As with any screwball comedy, one has to be willing to suspend logic a wee bit here and there and to accept extreme coincidences as an everyday occurrence. But this artifice is part of the genre's appeal, and Paris is especially artful in its artifice. As an actress, Danielle Darrieux is perhaps not in the same league as other screwball stars (such as Carole Lombard), but it doesn't matter. She has more than enough acting chops for the part, and more importantly, she has the requisite personality and charisma that enables her to handle the role with the lightest of touches. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is a great foil for her, Louis Hayward is near-perfect, and Helen Broderick and Mischa Auer are dependable as always. Throw in sleek Art Deco sets, beautiful costumes, and well-pitched direction, and the result is an enchanting laugh-fest. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • The lavish 1921 production of Three Musketeers is primarily a comic action film, yet it also pays extraordinary attention to detail, insuring that the period piece has a ringing authenticity. Alexander Dumas' novel receives the royal treatment, as villages and courts of the 17th century are painstakingly recreated and costumes chosen from antique dresses of the period. Yet the epic film does not suffer from deadly stateliness or stuffiness; in fact, it is a barrelful of fun, thanks mostly to the energetic and occasionally irreverent direction of Fred Niblo and Douglas Fairbanks Sr.'s acrobatic, enthusiastic performance as Gascon D'Artagnan. As the empoverished noble on a quest for justice, Fairbanks strikes a believable balance between comic shwashbuckler and epic hero. A remarkable athlete, Fairbanks handles the action scenes -- from swordplay to horse riding -- with aplomb while managing to convey his character's unflagging good humor throughout. Even in the more serious dramatic moments, he brings across integrity and great charm. Nigel De Brulier, as the Iago-like Cardinal Richelieu, and the "too beautiful" Barbara La Marras Milady de Winter are both fine villains, well-realized foils for the Royal Musketeers. Three Musketeers was a huge critical and box office success upon its release in 1921, and remains for many the finest screen adaptation of Dumas' novel. ~ Dan Jardine, Rovi
  • Happy Go Lovely is a moderately entertaining British-made musical that falls short of being first rate. What keeps it in the second tier is the confinement of musical talent to female lead Vera-Ellen. This is not to knock the leading lady, for she gives the part her all and is quite winning an actress and a knock-out as a dancer. (Her singing is, as usual, dubbed). The problem is that the male lead is played -- deftly and quite well -- by David Niven, whose many talents do not include those associated with a song-and-dance man. In a typical musical, the most important moments are of course the musical numbers; when the male lead is not called upon to participate in them, it usually creates a serious imbalance, as here. This situation is made worse by the fact that there are several moments when the script seems to cry out for the Niven character to become musical; had Fred Astaire, for example, been cast in the role, the dinner sequence at the swank restaurant would have become a true musical scene that would have made the sequence something truly special. As it is, it's amusing but nothing more. Aside from this, the only serious flaw is the over-the-top performance of Cesar Romero. It's true that the script is contrived, but it still is diverting. It is also offset by some very good choreography, particularly impressive in the street ballet near the end of the picture, and by some nice location shots. Light and breezy, Happy Go Lovely is an enjoyable trifle. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Woody Allen often stated that Bob Hope was a major influence on his work, and this is especially clear in My Favorite Brunette. Many of the gags and one-liners given to Hope would not seem out of place coming from Allen, with the crucial difference that the former delivers them "sincerely," whereas coming from the latter they would be tinged with irony. Brunette is a send-up of the "private dick" film, with Hope's take on a Phillip Marlowe type, giving him the chance to play his favorite "fish out of water" routine for all it's worth. For most of the film, the gags come fast and furious here, often making no sense but accumulating an irresistible force nonetheless. Unfortunately, about two-thirds of the way through, the tangled plot (an essential feature of the genre being spoofed) takes precedence and slows things down a little; it isn't a fatal change of pace, but it does keep the film from being the full-length laugh-fest it could have been. Hope is right at home with the material, and, of course, he gets good assistance from Dorothy Lamour. What's surprising is how delightfully funny Peter Lorre and (especially) Lon Chaney Jr. are. If My Favorite Brunette just misses being a classic comedy, it still has a great deal to recommend it. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • Buster Keaton perfectly balanced romance, action and comedy in his most admired film and personal favorite, a Civil War story about an engineer and his eponymous locomotive. Based on a true incident involving a hijacked Confederate train, Keaton strove to make the film as authentic as possible, shooting on location in Oregon to get the proper track gauge and sinking an actual locomotive engine at the film's climax (in reportedly the most expensive single take for a silent film). The lighting and composition recall Matthew Brady's Civil War photographs, while tracking shots following Keaton's locomotive adventures further displayed his technical expertise. The train became Keaton's supreme comic prop in the two intricately devised, and narratively mirrored, chase sequences involving his efforts to elude Union pursuers; the humorous business accompanying Keaton's retrieval of the General, and girlfriend, sent up romantic fantasies and war heroics. The effort seemed to be for naught when The General received negative reviews in 1927 and failed to make a profit. The General's reputation, along with Keaton's, however, was resuscitated in the 1950s; The General became Keaton's masterpiece, joining Charles Chaplin's The Gold Rush (1925) as one of the greatest silent comedies ever made. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
  • The Scarlet Pimpernel is among the screen's most enduring and frequently filmed action/adventure stories, but it is the 1934 version with Leslie Howard in the title role that stands out for most fully re-creating the setting of the French Revolution. Were it not for his role as Ashley Wilkes in Gone With the Wind this would likely be the performance for which Howard is best remembered. He dominates the film, though not so much that there is not space for several of the supporting actors to shine, most notably Merle Oberon and Raymond Massey. Most of the credit for the film should be given to British producer Alexander Korda, who produced low-budget films with a look and feel that approached the best Hollywood efforts of the 1930s. Of particular note is the cinematography of Harold Rosson and the fast-paced editing of William Hornbeck. During World War II, Howard would direct a current-day remake of sorts, Pimpernel Smith, though it did not approach the popularity or critical acclaim of its predecessor. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi
  • Director John Huston and actor Humphrey Bogart, who had previously collaborated on classics ranging from The Maltese Falcon to The African Queen, teamed up for the last time on Beat the Devil, the least known and most unfairly underrated of their five joint efforts. An exquisitely dry comedy with a witty script by Truman Capote, the film finds subtle, absurdist laughs in the misadventures of Bogart's tough customer, who becomes involved in a complex scheme to gain control of a patch of uranium-rich land in Africa. Indeed, the humor is played with such a straight face that many critics have suggested that the film's first audiences did not realize they were watching a comedy, contributing to its box office failure. Audiences in later years, however, have revived interest in the film, fully appreciating its bounty of comic riches. In addition to the well-plotted, always unpredictable script, the production is bolstered by uniformly excellent performances. Bogart treats his usual romantic cynic role with a pleasingly light touch, and establishes superb chemistry with Jennifer Jones, who portrays the female half of a seemingly proper British couple who may not be everything they seem. Especially strong laughs are provided by a memorably colorful rogue's gallery of supporting villains and kooks, including an especially nervous Peter Lorre. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
  • Kid Dynamite is one of the most thematically complex of all the East Side Kids movies. In addition to the usual rough-house antics and verbal comedy, there are plot lines involving patriotism and a symbolic "sibling" rivalry between Leo Gorcey's and Bobby Jordan's characters, all interwoven very carefully. The key story arc hooks around Gorcey's character slow realization that it's time to outgrow his petty jealousies and rages and worry about bigger concerns, such as fighting World War II. The movie even gives a short refresher course to younger viewers on why the war was so important, and what the Allies were fighting for. Wallace W. Fox's direction is a little more subtle than usual in the East Side Kids films, as he has these various important elements to work with, which also allow him and Leo Gorcey to impart a nasty, more interesting side to the character of Muggs McGinniss. The whole cast of regulars stretch their acting muscles a bit here, in addition to getting a good workout (that is Bobby Jordan in the boxing ring scenes), and the result is one of the more entertaining and enduring movies of the series, and one laced with an interesting nostalgia and honest sentimentality over a subject that's forgotten today -- the interaction between Henry Hall's Mr. Gendig and Margaret Padula's Mrs. Lyons are a reminder that a lot of people who were older adults during the years 1942-45 had to cope with strong memories of the First World War. And, yet, even amid the movie's serious messages and topical focus, Kid Dynamite has more than its share of laughs, most of them provided by Morey Amsterdam, then an up-and-coming comic, who was hired to write special comedy material for the script (most of which ends up being spoken by Huntz Hall). Other highlights (besides the fighting) include a dance contest featuring singer Marion Miller and Mike Riley's Orchestra, run by political candidate Klinkhamer (Vince Barnett, who is very funny throughout the movie); Dudley Dickerson serious performance as Mr. Scruno, the father of Sammy "Sunshine" Morrison's Scruno; Minerva Urecal as a disapproving court judge; and Kay Mavis, soon to be Mrs. Leo Gorcey, in a delightful jitterbug sequence with Gorcey's Muggs McGinniss. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Family Collection: 250 Movies [60 Discs] - Available now from DVDPlanet.com, join our mailing list and receive special offers and promotions.

BROWSE BY GENRE

NOW PLAYING

Drive (2011) Thing (2011) Transformers: the Dark of the Moon 3d Big Year

 

 

 

 

 

Specials

TOP 10 Last 2 Weeks

  1. Three Outlaw Samurai – $16.99
  2. Man in the Iron Mask (1939) – $15.35
  3. Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt. 1 – $21.14
  4. World on a Wire – $25.34
  5. Tiny Furniture – $29.52
  6. New Tricks Season 6 – $24.64
  7. Lady & the Tramp – $29.14
  8. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World – $13.73
  9. Downton Abbey Season 2 – $19.14
  10. Father Dowling Mysteries Season 1 – $20.10

 

TOP 10 PRE-ORDERS

  1. The Passion of The Christ [WS] – 03/13/12 – $10.01
  2. Story Of Ruth, The – 03/13/12 – $9.83
  3. Love's Unfolding Dream – 03/13/12 – $9.74
  4. Harold and Maude – 02/21/12 – $9.11
  5. Reds [25th Anniversary Edition] [2 Discs] – 02/21/12 – $10.64
  6. David and Bathsheba – 03/13/12 – $9.85
  7. The Ultimate Gift – 03/13/12 – $9.86
  8. Francis Of Assisi – 03/13/12 – $10.01
  9. Nashville – 02/21/12 – $9.14
  10. A Place in the Sun – 02/21/12 – $10.23
Find us on Facebook
Become an Affiliate



My Account
 Login
 Register
 Order History
 Wish List
 Shopping Cart
Information
 Help
 Contact Us
 Shopping
 Shipping Policies
 Returns and Exchanges
 Privacy statement