Reviews (7)

AWFUL
My title sums it up. This movie struck us as sad and drawn out. The ending though satisfying is preceeded by a series of rather shocking scenes. It caught us totally unawares. I shall never watch this movie again.

Good early Stewart and Lombard
This is an early film is the careers of stars James Stewart and Carole Lombard. They star as a young impulsively-married couple who go through all the tribulation that entails. The performances are all top-rate and the cast includes Charles Coburn as Stewart's hearing-impaired boss and a cameo by Ward Bond as a reluctant pilot.

It is a light comedy-drama with a good script and great acting. My one complaint is that the last half-hour is mostly taken up with a soap-ish baby sickness scare that does little to expand the story, but gives Lombard an opportunity for an "Oscar clip" level crying scene and to look beatific praying to a statue of Jesus. This is in retrospect, however, as I was riveted to the screen throughout the ordeal.

All in all, a good (not excellent) film and a realistic portrayal of married life (sans housekeepers, of course) buoyed by terrific acting all around.

LOMBARD ROCKS!!!!
Although not her best, this film still stands the test of time. The film is simple, but that is what makes it a classic. Lombard will make you fall in love with her character. Not many actresses can do that today. Jimmy Stewart is as dependable as ever as the husband. If you like Lombard, check out "Nothing Sacred" as well. It is a great comedy with a wonderful screenplay by Ben Hect.

MEDIOCRE SOAP
The trials and tribulations of a young married couple. Carole Lombard was that rarest type of actresses - a beautiful woman who was also funny. Seen today, it is very much a film of the Hollywood past, and without the pleasing performances of the leads, would have little to recommend it. By 1939, she had established herself as a top-flight comedienne, and it had begun to bother her; she felt that she needed to prove her dramatic abilities. David O. Selznick agreed with her and commissioned Jo Swerling to write an original screenplay about the problems of a young married couple. Lombard's humour shines through, even though the part doesn't call for comedy, and Stewart is in his element as the shy but sunny, diffident yet optimistic all-American. Both Selznick and Lombard felt that the perfect actor to play the husband would be James Stewart, which required a loan-out from MGM in order to play in this United Artists production. The film was a modest success but not the winner Selznick had hoped for; the scene in which the serum is brought to the baby (he has pneumonia) via a plane in snowstorm barely passed muster in 1939, today it borders on the ludicrous.

Soap Poisoning
My wife and I expected SOME comedy - after all, Carol Lombard and Jimmie Stewart have BOTH done excellent work in that field, and the reviews we'd seen CALLED it a "comedy-drama". But alas, the only funny part of this movie was unintentional humor, particularly the "dramatic" sequence at the end, with a biplane pilot flying precious "serum" (on New Year's Eve, apparently) over the Rockies in a blinding blizzard (some wing spars on that plane!) and eventually bailing out somewhere over the Susquehannah (some fuel tanks that biplane had!) while newspaper headlines track his progress - all in one night? As a (former USAF) pilot, I laughed myself out of my seat throughout THIS sequence - it is totally ludicrous.

This "weepie", made in 1939, is infinitely dated. It looks much like a prototype for "It's A Wonderful Life", and maybe film buffs can check it out bearing *that* in mind, but if you are expecting ANY sort of humor, forget it. Stewart lurches from one setback to another, while his wife stays home with the baby and the mother-in-law (and the maid - don't forget the maid....). Trying to think of a single "funny" scene, I suppose the two seconds Stewart spends poking a bottle at the baby could bring a smile, but the scene where he comes home completely drunk is like watching a train wreck.

As another reviewer wrote, the DVD transfer is awful. The sound seems to come from the bottom of a 55-gallon drum stuffed with cotton - turning the volume up only gets you an earful of hiss and crackle. And extras....well, what do you expect at this price? The "art work" is a single lobby card (and that's shown so small that I can't imagine why it was even included), and "biographies" is a single page for Stewart, nothing for Lombard or anyone else.

The film this reminded me of most was "Cavalcade", but without the high spots. Even if you like "weepies" like "Penny Serenade", there is precious little in this archaic creaker to interest you. I highly recommed passing. Or better yet - go for "It Happened One Night". ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Produced in a time when films were both literally and figuratively black and white, Made for Each Other was unique in its effective blending of the comedic, the dramatic, and, as perhaps some would insensitively say, the melodramatic. Beautiful Carole Lombard and likeable James Stewart are Jane and John Mason, a couple who meet, fall madly in love, marry, and quickly have a baby. But while they--and the audience--are confident that they are meant for each other, life intercedes and the couple must meet with disapproving in-laws, job stress, financial challenges and, finally, a devastating illness.

Lombard and Stewart--and the genuinely good people they portray--are utterly compelling and charming. Say yawningly what you will about tradition, but the Masons' is a path many, if not most, go down. And unlike the wonderful but wholly fantasy world of peer Preston Sturges, director John Cromwell's universe is, like real life, full of ups and downs. It's an accessible, sensitive portrayal. He gives the audience characters they want to see succeed, and to see stay together in the process. It may be a tale of triumph of the human spirit, but its ultimate sentiment--one that celebrates the kindness of strangers--is thoroughly sweet, though in no way saccharine.

Look for a great supporting cast, including a blustery Charles Coburn as John Mason's boss, and Lucile Watson as Mason's interfering mother. --N.F. Mendoza ... Read more

Reviews (7)

AWFUL
My title sums it up. This movie struck us as sad and drawn out. The ending though satisfying is preceeded by a series of rather shocking scenes. It caught us totally unawares. I shall never watch this movie again.

Good early Stewart and Lombard
This is an early film is the careers of stars James Stewart and Carole Lombard. They star as a young impulsively-married couple who go through all the tribulation that entails. The performances are all top-rate and the cast includes Charles Coburn as Stewart's hearing-impaired boss and a cameo by Ward Bond as a reluctant pilot.

It is a light comedy-drama with a good script and great acting. My one complaint is that the last half-hour is mostly taken up with a soap-ish baby sickness scare that does little to expand the story, but gives Lombard an opportunity for an "Oscar clip" level crying scene and to look beatific praying to a statue of Jesus. This is in retrospect, however, as I was riveted to the screen throughout the ordeal.

All in all, a good (not excellent) film and a realistic portrayal of married life (sans housekeepers, of course) buoyed by terrific acting all around.

LOMBARD ROCKS!!!!
Although not her best, this film still stands the test of time. The film is simple, but that is what makes it a classic. Lombard will make you fall in love with her character. Not many actresses can do that today. Jimmy Stewart is as dependable as ever as the husband. If you like Lombard, check out "Nothing Sacred" as well. It is a great comedy with a wonderful screenplay by Ben Hect.

MEDIOCRE SOAP
The trials and tribulations of a young married couple. Carole Lombard was that rarest type of actresses - a beautiful woman who was also funny. Seen today, it is very much a film of the Hollywood past, and without the pleasing performances of the leads, would have little to recommend it. By 1939, she had established herself as a top-flight comedienne, and it had begun to bother her; she felt that she needed to prove her dramatic abilities. David O. Selznick agreed with her and commissioned Jo Swerling to write an original screenplay about the problems of a young married couple. Lombard's humour shines through, even though the part doesn't call for comedy, and Stewart is in his element as the shy but sunny, diffident yet optimistic all-American. Both Selznick and Lombard felt that the perfect actor to play the husband would be James Stewart, which required a loan-out from MGM in order to play in this United Artists production. The film was a modest success but not the winner Selznick had hoped for; the scene in which the serum is brought to the baby (he has pneumonia) via a plane in snowstorm barely passed muster in 1939, today it borders on the ludicrous.

Soap Poisoning
My wife and I expected SOME comedy - after all, Carol Lombard and Jimmie Stewart have BOTH done excellent work in that field, and the reviews we'd seen CALLED it a "comedy-drama". But alas, the only funny part of this movie was unintentional humor, particularly the "dramatic" sequence at the end, with a biplane pilot flying precious "serum" (on New Year's Eve, apparently) over the Rockies in a blinding blizzard (some wing spars on that plane!) and eventually bailing out somewhere over the Susquehannah (some fuel tanks that biplane had!) while newspaper headlines track his progress - all in one night? As a (former USAF) pilot, I laughed myself out of my seat throughout THIS sequence - it is totally ludicrous.

This "weepie", made in 1939, is infinitely dated. It looks much like a prototype for "It's A Wonderful Life", and maybe film buffs can check it out bearing *that* in mind, but if you are expecting ANY sort of humor, forget it. Stewart lurches from one setback to another, while his wife stays home with the baby and the mother-in-law (and the maid - don't forget the maid....). Trying to think of a single "funny" scene, I suppose the two seconds Stewart spends poking a bottle at the baby could bring a smile, but the scene where he comes home completely drunk is like watching a train wreck.

As another reviewer wrote, the DVD transfer is awful. The sound seems to come from the bottom of a 55-gallon drum stuffed with cotton - turning the volume up only gets you an earful of hiss and crackle. And extras....well, what do you expect at this price? The "art work" is a single lobby card (and that's shown so small that I can't imagine why it was even included), and "biographies" is a single page for Stewart, nothing for Lombard or anyone else.

The film this reminded me of most was "Cavalcade", but without the high spots. Even if you like "weepies" like "Penny Serenade", there is precious little in this archaic creaker to interest you. I highly recommed passing. Or better yet - go for "It Happened One Night". ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Clampetts entertain some country music singers
These volumes in "The Beverly Hillbillies" collection make every attempt to be thematic (the Clampetts go to New York, Granny tries to cook large varmints for dinner, etc.), and for Volume 5 the common denominator is country music. Episode 97, "Flatt, Clampett, and Scruggs" (March 31, 1965) gives Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, who wrote and sang the show's theme song "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," some more time in front of the camera. The guitar and banjo pickin' duo showed up from time to time throughout the first five seasons of this classic rural situation comedy. Episode 198, "Cousin Roy" (April 3, 1968) offers a visit by Roy Clark, who does double duty as both cousin Roy Halsey and Mother Myrtle before finding time to entertain everybody with a little bit of good ol' mountain music. The stories in both of these episodes are just excuses to play some music and have the Clampetts do a little fancy stepping at the end. Certainly Roy Clark has a lot more fun with his parts than Flatt and Scruggs, who were already a couple of elder statesmen for country music. The music is fine within the context of each show, but these episodes are still nothing to get really excited about even for die-hard fans of the series. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Herbie Rides Again is no good.............
This sequel to The Love Bug, lacks a good plot, and an interesting cast. Set five years after the original, this film finds Herbie now sold to an annoying old lady living in a fire house. The fire house is the only building left in the way of Alonzo Hawk's new sky scraper being built. Robert Stevenson enters the plot as Hawk's nephew and goes against his uncle to help save the fire house. This film has nothing to do with the original and loses the formula. I would pass on this movie. However, Dean Jones and Don Knots returned in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo to give the series back it's good name.........

Just a poor re-hash of "The Love Bug"
Like many sequels, the writers of this one were unable to come up with a new plot idea, so they basically re-hashed the original. Ken Berry takes the Dean Jones role, Stephanie Powers takes the Michelle Lee role, the demise of the firehouse replaces the demise of Herbie, etc, etc. Also like many sequels, the result was poor at best. While it had its moments [the parade of Beetles], for the most part, "Herbie Rides Again" seemed to try to hard to be clever...and as a result, fails.

As for the transfer...I couldn't help but notice how "tight" all the scenes with the actors seemed to be...especially the ones inside Herbie. The reason? It appears this movie was filmed in 1.66:1 ratio...and Disney, in its usual infinite wisdom, has trimmed information from the picture to make it fit a 16x9 screen. Geez...even Disney's widescreen movies cut out part of the picture. These guy are just clueless, aren't they?

The sound seemed a little off to me as well, with the music sometimes overwhelming the dialogue.

All that being said, my recommendation is to buy "The Love Bug" [which has an overall excellent transfer, with the exception of one out-of-focus scene in Chinatown], and forget all the sequels.

Not good for little kids
My two year old loves Herbie, so we rented this to give us all a break. Now we are paying for it! The villian in this movie rants, raves, screams, and bosses everyone around conitinuously. Perhaps it is coincidence, but our mild-mannered son has become a mini-version of this tryant. After two weeks, he is finally returning to normal. I would not recommend showing this movie to suggestible children. It is difficult to find live-action, non-violent movies with good role-model characters. Stick with "The Love Bug."

A Disney favorite is back -- this time in widescreen!
Predictable, but fun Disney comedy from the 1970's and the best of the Love Bug sequels. Thanks to Disney Home Video for releasing this film in widescreen. Please release all Disney films in their original theatrical ratios and re-release The Moonspinners, Blackbeard's Ghost, and Babes in Toyland in widescreen.

The Little Car That Could is Back
Alonzo Hawk has made his fortune by destroying old buildings and putting new office buildings and shopping centers in their place. His latest project is to build the world's tallest skyscraper in San Francisco. Unfortunately for him, one widow refuses to sell the little firehouse she's lived in since the day she got married. Even more unfortunately, she's keeping Herbie for her nephew, and Herbie has decided to protect her at all costs. But what can a VW Bug do against a man who will stop at nothing to destroy the firehouse?

This was the first sequel to the huge hit, THE LOVE BUG. Released 6 years after the original, none of the human cast returned. Only the car is around to reprise his roll. Stirring clear of racecar driving completely for this go around, the plot focuses solely on the tug of war over the firehouse. The plot itself is silly, with Herbie doing such things as driving the cable of the Golden Gate Bridge and swimming. Still, if you're in the mood for improbably fun, these movies are your ticket. The cast, lead by Helen Hayes, does a fine job keeping the storyline believable fantasy. And, of course, there's the romantic sub-plot just to add a little more tension.

I was really impressed by the Special Edition treatment that THE LOVE BUG received last year and was hoping for more of the same. Unfortunately, this is a movie only edition. This movie is presented in widescreen and full surround, however. The picture looks sharp with some dust and grain debris showing it's age. It sounds nice as well, although the movie won't give your surround sound a chance to truly shine. Then again, considering when the movie came out, that's not too different from the original source.

Despite the lack of special features, it's nice to have this fun film on DVD. I've been a fan of Herbie for as long as I can remember, and these films will always hold a special place in my heart. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When the radiation-spawned giant ants of Them! swarmed over American screens to become one the most successful films of 1954, it didn't take long for the rest of the insect kingdom to follow suit. The best of these mutant bug movies is Jack Arnold's giddy Tarantula, with Leo G. Carroll as a scientist whose experimental, radiation-treated nutritional supplements transform the title creature into a rampaging monster. The hungry arachnid graduates from rabbits to cattle to people as it grows and creeps across the barren countryside in search of food, dwarfing the desert hills in simple but unsettling special effects shots. John Agar plays the square-jawed doctor who tries to warn the local populace of the impending menace and Clint Eastwood has a bit as an Air Force pilot called in to bomb the now mountain-sized spider. It's an essentially silly story with plenty of heroic dashing about and monster-movie tropes ("See its mandibles crush cars like a tin cans!"), but Arnold, one of the most talented and thoughtful genre directors of the 1950s (It Came From Outer Space, The Incredible Shrinking Man), creates a surprisingly eerie mood with his austere visual style and winds the film up with his tension-building rapid pacing. Composer-playwright Richard O'Brien liked thefilm so much he immortalized it in the Rocky Horror Picture Show: "Leo G. Carroll was over a barrel when the Tarantula took the hills." The film still straddles the line between nostalgic goofiness and smart sci-fi thrills. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (29)

A 1950'S CLASSIC!
Sometimes I really wish I had been born 15 years earlier so I would have been able to enjoy great films like "Them" and "Tarantula" at a drive-in movie.That really would have been fun.Tarantula has always been one of my favorites in the Giant insect genre of films and I rank it right up there (almost) with "Them".

Professor Deemer is working on an experimental nutrient to solve the worlds hunger problem.During a fight with an assistant, a Tarantula that had been injected with the experimental formula escapes and begins to mutate, growing large and larger.Soon the giant arachnid is out feeding on livestock, ranchers, and just about anything else that gets in its way.A local doctor played by the great John Agar eventually is able to determine that white stuff found at the site of the attacks is spider venom.Soon the local police and residents take on the giant spider but bullets and even dynamite don't slow it down.Finally its decided to call in the Air Force where we get a brief glimpse of Clint Eastwood in an early, uncredited role as an air force pilot.

Sure the special effects are cheesy by today's CGI standards but this is still a great movie and wonderful fun.The type you want to watch on a summer night at the drive in with a big bowl of popcorn.

CLASSIC SCI-FI THRILLER*****DVD PLEASE ********
So when is this great old film coming out on DVD?????? Many of us are eagerly waiting for this one to add to our library. I put this one right up there with "The Day the Earth Stood Still" & "Creature From the Black Lagoon".These are always great for repeat viewings on Sunday afternoons..

Ultimate 50s sci fi!
Tarantula is a highlight of the continuous stream of monster B movies produced in the 50s and 60s. This is the story of a lifelong scientist (Leo Carroll), who is attempting to produce technology for the world to benefit from. When he is attacked one night by one of his former partners, a mutated tarantula is set loose in an Arizona town. The town medical doctor (John Agar), realizes that life is at stake, and must find a way to destroy this creature before it is too late. The formula used to mutate the arachnid has produced fatal effects on humans, deforming and killing them in a matter of 4 days.
Jack Arnold's edge of your seat lore did not need to be remade several years ago. If they are planning to outdo the 1950's "Tarantula", they should forget the idea right now. Movies just are not made like that anymore, and it just cannot be equaled by modern technology. Pick this horror film up, and you will discover why so many of these type of films were made in that time.

CLASSIC SPIDER FILM
It's been almost 50 years since TARANTULA first hit the big screen.Having seen the movie when I was a little kid running around to all the monster double-features, I have to say this one remained with me through all these years. Watching it was like spending time with an old childhood friend.Considering it was 1955, the effects in this movie are pretty frightening, especially when viewing the entire real tarantula that was superimposed.The closeups are cheesy, but we didn't have CGI then.John Agar, Leo G. Carroll (who would go on to be the boss for the man from UNCLE), Mara Corday (Black Scorpion), Nestor Paiva, Hank Patterson (Green Acres), and yes, even Clint Eastwood are around to flesh out the characters.Arnold was smart in doing a lot of the effects at night, giving us a shadow of the spider to boot.This is much better (I think) than THEM or THE BLACK SCORPION, and it deserves to be on DVD, so let's get with it, Universal!
A classic film of the 20th century horror genre!

"Tarantula" Has Plenty Of "Bite"!A Fun "Huge Insect" Film!
Many people categorize 1955's sci-fi film "Tarantula" as a "B" picture or a "cult" flick for just sci-fi buffs. While this may be true to some degree I suppose, I believe this little chiller rises above the average "B" movie, and reaches a loftier status.

It's a very re-watchable film, with some pretty good acting and well-drawn characters. Plus a plot that's not totally off-the-wall. Well, yeah, it's out in left field (somewhat), but not so much as to be considered completely ludicrous in every sense.

Leo G. Carroll does a fine job as the bio-chemist whose experiments with a new "growth formula" on animals (including our menacing friend, Mister "Tarantula") go terribly wrong when the multi-legged beast escapes Carroll's laboratory.

I truly enjoy watching this movie -- no matter how many screenings I give it.The atmosphere, characters, and storyline have me "locked in" from the very start.

And the special effects don't look too bad either -- considering it's from 1955 and well before "CGI" type beasts & explosions.

I even kind of like the rather corny (and, I assume, not realistic) "hissing"/"rattling" noises that emanate from the super-sized spider during the film. LOL!

Also on the humorous side of things -- I've always thought it was mighty cooperative of our giant-sized, venom-spewing beast to "follow the road into town" at the end of the film, thereby making the townspeople's job of setting up the dynamite a great deal easier. (Since when do spiders follow the 'rules of the road'? Oh, well, I guess we'll just assume that our Tarantula here owns a '55 Chevy, and is familiar with the desert highways that surround him. LOL!)

This whole movie is great fun from start to finish.Plus -- There's a fun "Theatrical Trailer" for the film included on this VHS version.

If you like really big hairy spiders, then look no further than 1955's "Tarantula". ... Read more