Reviews (18)

The Blue Bird
As a small child I remember seeing this lesser-known movie, and it so impressed me that I wanted our small grandchildren to see it. I hadn't seen it since then, so I watched it again to make sure it was as I remembered. I know that when our "grands" come soon, they will enjoy it as much as I did years ago. Shirley Temple was magical little child, and the story line is unusual for a Shirley Temple movie in that it is a fantasy tale. I heartily recommend it for small children!

"The Blue Bird means Hapiness"says Berri Lou
This is my favorite Shirley Temple movie and I being a lover of "The Wizard of Oz," I fell in love with "The Blue Bird" also. I love stories that have fantasy plots and adventures of young children seeking love and/or happiness. The characters in the story are very creative and loveable-except for the mean Tylette and the greedy Luxuries. The setting is beautiful for being an early 1940's picture. I'm a big fan of Shirley Temple and love anything she does, but this is my favorite all time movie of hers. If you have children or are a child of the heart, rent or buy the movie from the trustworthy Amazon.com. If you miss out on this movie, you are missing out on a classic picture.

Sub-par attempt at Wizard of Oz
I previewed this movie for my 5 year old after all the great reviews I saw on Amazon... This movie has poor production. The shifting from black and white to color was not explained but just happens.
Then it is down right scary!
Walking across the grave yard at midnight comes out ok but I'm curious Why can't light go with them? No real reason is given.
the script is poor and pathetic. The lines these children were made to say makes me shutter...
Someone raved about the grandma scene.. It teaches your child to think Grandma is only "alive" when you think about her. Yuck! Why lay that burden on a childs' shoulders.
Oh and BTW all babies are pretty and caucasion before being born.
The big fire scene is really frighting.
Not to mention the script writer must have hated cats!
This is not a movie for Cat lovers.
I can understand why I had never heard of this movie.
The production writing and acting leave a whole bunch to be desired.

Grandmas house
when i was younger and i would visit my grandmas house, before bed i got to choose a movie to fall alseep to "The Blue Bird" was always my choice. the movie was filled with imagination and wonder. i fell in love with it the first time i saw it. now that my grandma has past away i want my own copy. not only because its my favorite movie, but because there will always be great memories with it.

A Remarkable film
"The Blue Bird" Has to be one of the most beautiful and underrated films ever made. I am also a big fan of "The Wizard of Oz" But Iv always felt that The Wizard of oz was not a childrens due to it's scary scenes and I for one used to be very afraid of it. I could never just sit and watch it because I would always be worried about one Scary Scene after another. With The Blue Bird you can sit back and relax while your chiled gets a good clear useful message from the film. I advise any parent to show there children "The Blue Bird" before showing the Wizard of oz. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

One of the great film musicals
This movie begins with a phenomenal if misleading shot. It shows a top hat and cane belonging to former dancing legend Tony Hunter being auctioned, with no takers. Of course, if you see a top hat and cane, you think "Fred Astaire." But despite the implication and reference, Fred Astaire was, at the time this film was being made, still very much the greatest dancer in the movies (with apologies to Gene Kelly). Unlike Tony Hunter, he had never ceased to make "A" pictures. But no one could have played this role with more authority than Astaire.

The plot is simple: washed-out and used-up former dance legend Tony Hunter is returning to Broadway in an attempt to revive his sagging career. That provides the pretext that is needed for a nearly perfect musical. THE BAND WAGON is a magnificent blend of great songs, great music, great dancer numbers, great actors, and great comedy. The cast is perfect. You get not only the greatest song and dance man in movie history but also a magnificent partner in the elegant and leggy Cyd Charise. You get great comic relief with Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray. And you get one of the few musical comedy performers who could rival Fred Astaire for elegance and charm in Jack Buchanan.

The musical numbers are both marvelous and apparently never ending. The film begins with Fred performing "By Myself" and then soon shifts to a thoroughly rousing version of "Shine on My Shoes." Later in the film, two enormously debonair song and dance men (Fred and Jack) perform "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan's." And that doesn't even come close to exhausting the list.

Perhaps the highpoint of the film, however, comes when Tony and Gabrielle, the ballet performer the producers want to partner him with, uncertain that they will be able to dance with each other at all, take a carriage ride through Central Park to try to get to know each other. As they drive, they come upon an outdoor dance floor, with an orchestra playing the haunting Dietz and Schwartz classic "Dancing in the Dark" (which lyricist Dietz intended to be a meditation about the nature of human existence; Schwartz's music matched the mood of the lyrics perfectly). Tony and Gabrielle get out and begin to walk together in rhythm, gradually and tentatively attempting a few dance steps. Eventually, they discover each other's rhythm, and they begin to dance together marvelously and magnificently, matching the mood of the music precisely. It is one of the greatest moments in either Astaire or Charisse's career.

This is a must see film for any fan of the movie musical. I have to confess that I am not, by and large, a big fan of the MGM musical. I prefer the kookiness of the older RKO musicals, or even the stylized musicals of Warners or even Fox. MGM musicals were, to me, too often overproduced and dominated by the art directors. This film, however, is a magnificent exception.

Cyd and Fred!
Cyd Charisse, Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray, Jack Buchanan and Oscar Levant star in the classic musical THE BAND WAGON, one of the greatest movie musicals ever made.

Focusing on a troup of actors trying to make a musical version of "Faust", THE BAND WAGON centres on the stormy relationship between the two leads - the washed-up hoofer (Astaire) and the prim and proper ballerina (Charisse). The relationship climaxes in the stunning "Dancing In The Dark" sequence, where they test their limits.

Fabray and Levant are endearing as the struggling writers/performers who come up with the impossible musical after the director (Buchanan) gets the wrong idea about the script.

The film also features the classic "Triplets" song with Astaire, Fabray and Buchanan, and the "Girl Hunt" ballet, a spoof of the Mickey Spillane spy stories, danced by Astaire and a dual role by Charisse.

Truly a masterpiece.

Throwback to Vaudeville
Astaire & buddies decide to put on a travelling show. This somewhat defiant response to Gene Kelly's forward looking & somewhat cynical Singin in the Rain, provided a big screen platform for an odd combination of small stage entertainment and Astaire's signature tap dancing mixed with ballroom dancing. The movie adopts a cheerful & innocent entertain the masses approach. Old fashioned on purpose. His dancing is wonderful and the film suffers in the scenes and numbers where he isn't front and center. Corny old songs like "Triplets" and "Louisiana Hayride" are dragged out & dusted off. Was Astaire really this devoted to his vaudeville roots or was it all he knew how to do? Astaire may not have born wearing a top hat and tails but he might as well have been. I wonder if it got to the point where someone he trusted had to sit down with Fred and convince him to let it go. Obviously, Singin in the Rain resonated more deeply with public. Astaire finally gave up on these throwback movies & took on dramatic roles in the late 50's. Big budget modernized musicals dominated the 50's & 60's.

Fred's answer to Singing in the Rain
This movie came out a year or two after Singing in the Rain. Fred meant it to be his answer to that movie. Many people remember the Gene Kelly movie but not this one. In many ways I think Band Wagon is better. WHY ISN'T IT ON DVD?

All Aboard!
The Band Wagon is a very good movie!
It's list of musical numbers include, That's Entertainment!, The Girl Hunt, and Triplets.
It's a must see for any musical movie fans,or anyone else for that matter!
I realy wish I could rate it with 10 Stars! ... Read more

Reviews (20)

The Best of Danny Kaye's work!
I have seen The Secret Life of Walter Mitty once, but that was all it took for me to love it. The girl he played opposite was fantastic, and had worked with him before in various other movies. Kaye's character in this movie had some pretty wild day-dreams, and sometimes those day dreams got him into trouble. When the girl of those dreams came into his real world, it was funny to watch how he dealt with it. Kaye's talent for singing, and the bar scene in which he played the pilot and pretended to be his old high school teacher, I thought it was the best part of the movie. Any one can love the way that Kaye loves and sometimes loses, and the way he handles it. He was the best actor/singer Hollywood ever had (and needs more like him!!!!), and this is certainly his best movie.

A fun movie!
Walter Mitty (played by Danny Kaye) is an inveterate daydreamer - henpecked by his mother, unregarded by his fiancé, and abused by his boss. But, when a man is murdered in his presence, Walter soon finds himself protecting a beautiful woman and running from a group of ruthless hoodlums, and nobody believes that this isn't just another daydream. Now, all that Walter has to do is hold onto his sanity and save that girl! [Color, released in 1947, with a running time of 1 hour, 50 minutes.]

This is a fun movie! Any Danny Kaye (1913-87) movie is worth seeing, and this one is doubly so. It has Danny's great hijinks and his wonderful off kilter singing. I liked the storyline and all of the antics, and the fact that the whole family could sit down and laugh along to this great comedy. If you like good comedy, and want something family-friendly, then you can't do better than this movie - buy it!

What A Great Movie
I happen to have gotten a copy of this movie which is the same editino pictured. I love Walter mitty and don't see why it isn't on DVD. Even though HBO did put it on DVD it was only on the market for 6 months than it was off the market. And now you have to pay a whomping fee just to get a DVD of it. The lowest price I have seen ws $215.00 Which is an outrage. This is a hilarious comedy with Danny Kaye.

One of Danny Kaye's Most Successful Pictures Ever!
Wow! What a movie! If you like Danny Kaye, then without a doubt you'll enjoy this classic Kaye film. In addition to Danny's normal good humor and hilarious puns, you'll enjoy suspense as Walter Mitty (played by Danny Kaye) has experiences (or are they just daydreams????) that bring the movie to life. Danny Kaye uses his great talent as an actor as he plays various parts in his short, but comical daydreams. His "real" life is just as funny as he constantly does unusual and absent-minded little things that make his friends and family wonder...You'll love it.

Full array of talents
Probably one of Danny kayes best known movies, and never seems to lose it's charm. A very thin story line is beautifully padded by the multiple personalities played out in the daydreams of our erstwhile anti-hero. A wonderful cameo from Boris Karloff adds to the comic excitement of a fast paced story, and Kaye delivers brilliantly with impeccable timing during each sub plot. Almost a multiple picture in picture movie, the ending really holds no suprises, but gently jogs the viewer along, without some of the kitch so prevalent in other movies of the era. Danny Kaye really was a comic genius, and in some ways the picture reflects his own life which was widely believed to be that of a painfully shy and reserved man. A great family film, my daughters aged 12 and 14 actually stayed glued to the film throughout, proving that "old fashioned" homely family films can stand the test of time with contemporary audiences. A worthy addition to any collection. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Sturges' "Worst" is Better than Almost Anyone Else's "Best"
Hollywood has often acquired the rights to best-sellers that are virtually impossible to film. One such book was a non-fiction work, "Triumph Over Pain," the story of William Morton's discovery of ether anaesthesia.

The tale is basically a downer -- Morton was reviled as a moral thug attempting to profit from his discovery, while others attempted to deny him the honor of it by claiming to have made it themselves. Morton died in poverty, a broken man.

Not surprisingly, no one could figure out how to make an "entertaining" adaptation. The book kicked around Paramount for several years until it was assigned to Preston Sturges, who'd written and directed a string of films that were wildly successful with both the public and critics.

Sturges resolved the book's "problems" by telling the story in flashback, so that all the unhappy stuff was at the beginning, and by treating the material as -- a comedy!!! The resulting film makes abrupt shifts between seriousness and farce. This -- along with Paramount's attempt to market it as a straight comedy -- probably explains why it was such a flop.

Although the film was shortened and re-edited by the studio, it remains (contrary to some reviewers' opinions) completely coherent, with most of the story told in an ordinary linear fashion. There were some unresolved plot points -- why was the US Government willing to give Morton [$$$] -- but they don't affect one's comprehension of the story line.

There has never been a better screenwriter than Preston Sturges, and in "The Great Moment" he shows a marvelous ability to puncture serious scenes with wisecracks. Joel McCrea -- a generally stiff and uninteresting actor -- is at his comic best, brilliantly trading barbs with the other performers.

The best part of the film is the last scene. With the ever-unimaginative Victor Fleming providing an underscore of the "Ave Maria," Sturges ends the film with a truly nasty send-up of "inspirational" movie making.

If you're a Sturges fan, don't let "The Great Moment" pass by.

This review is based on the out-of-print MGM LaserDisk edition. I have not seen the tape, and cannot comment on its technical quality. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If there's one movie Danny Kaye fans fondly remember, it's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The versatile comedian--also an unsurpassed song-and-dance man--plays a henpecked, thriller-genre book writer suddenly enmeshed in a real adventure involving the (literal) girl of his dreams (Virginia Mayo). Initially criticized for not staying true to the more melancholic sensibility of author James Thurber's original story (Thurber allegedly offered producer Samuel Goldwyn $10,000 to not make the film), it not only works as an independent story, but remains highly entertaining and wears well upon repeated viewing. Kaye's milquetoast Walter fantasizes distractedly about being heroic, whether a gunslinger, an Air Force pilot, or a riverboat gambler. His "Anatole of Paris" number, in which Walter fancies himself a French hat designer who, in the end, declares he hates women, is nothing short of brilliant. That number, like many of Kaye's trademark patter deliveries, was penned by his wife, Sylvia Fine. Kaye benefits from a wonderful supporting cast: Mayo; Boris Karloff as maniacal Dr. Hugo Hollingshead; Faye Bainter as Walter's repressive but lively mother; Ann Rutherford as his suspicious fiancée Gertrude; and Gordon Jones as Tubby, who not only has designs on Gertrude, but provides the villain in Walter's fantasies. --N.F. Mendoza ... Read more

Reviews (20)

The Best of Danny Kaye's work!
I have seen The Secret Life of Walter Mitty once, but that was all it took for me to love it. The girl he played opposite was fantastic, and had worked with him before in various other movies. Kaye's character in this movie had some pretty wild day-dreams, and sometimes those day dreams got him into trouble. When the girl of those dreams came into his real world, it was funny to watch how he dealt with it. Kaye's talent for singing, and the bar scene in which he played the pilot and pretended to be his old high school teacher, I thought it was the best part of the movie. Any one can love the way that Kaye loves and sometimes loses, and the way he handles it. He was the best actor/singer Hollywood ever had (and needs more like him!!!!), and this is certainly his best movie.

A fun movie!
Walter Mitty (played by Danny Kaye) is an inveterate daydreamer - henpecked by his mother, unregarded by his fiancé, and abused by his boss. But, when a man is murdered in his presence, Walter soon finds himself protecting a beautiful woman and running from a group of ruthless hoodlums, and nobody believes that this isn't just another daydream. Now, all that Walter has to do is hold onto his sanity and save that girl! [Color, released in 1947, with a running time of 1 hour, 50 minutes.]

This is a fun movie! Any Danny Kaye (1913-87) movie is worth seeing, and this one is doubly so. It has Danny's great hijinks and his wonderful off kilter singing. I liked the storyline and all of the antics, and the fact that the whole family could sit down and laugh along to this great comedy. If you like good comedy, and want something family-friendly, then you can't do better than this movie - buy it!

What A Great Movie
I happen to have gotten a copy of this movie which is the same editino pictured. I love Walter mitty and don't see why it isn't on DVD. Even though HBO did put it on DVD it was only on the market for 6 months than it was off the market. And now you have to pay a whomping fee just to get a DVD of it. The lowest price I have seen ws $215.00 Which is an outrage. This is a hilarious comedy with Danny Kaye.

One of Danny Kaye's Most Successful Pictures Ever!
Wow! What a movie! If you like Danny Kaye, then without a doubt you'll enjoy this classic Kaye film. In addition to Danny's normal good humor and hilarious puns, you'll enjoy suspense as Walter Mitty (played by Danny Kaye) has experiences (or are they just daydreams????) that bring the movie to life. Danny Kaye uses his great talent as an actor as he plays various parts in his short, but comical daydreams. His "real" life is just as funny as he constantly does unusual and absent-minded little things that make his friends and family wonder...You'll love it.

Full array of talents
Probably one of Danny kayes best known movies, and never seems to lose it's charm. A very thin story line is beautifully padded by the multiple personalities played out in the daydreams of our erstwhile anti-hero. A wonderful cameo from Boris Karloff adds to the comic excitement of a fast paced story, and Kaye delivers brilliantly with impeccable timing during each sub plot. Almost a multiple picture in picture movie, the ending really holds no suprises, but gently jogs the viewer along, without some of the kitch so prevalent in other movies of the era. Danny Kaye really was a comic genius, and in some ways the picture reflects his own life which was widely believed to be that of a painfully shy and reserved man. A great family film, my daughters aged 12 and 14 actually stayed glued to the film throughout, proving that "old fashioned" homely family films can stand the test of time with contemporary audiences. A worthy addition to any collection. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Classic Sherlock Holmes
I loved this entry in the series. It was full of pithy, classic, Holmes deductions and Watson wise cracks. I enjoyed the other two WWII movies that were part of the Sherlock Holmes series and highly recommend this one as well. I thought it was excellent!!!! This movie is homeschooler friendly!

Enjoyable curio
Other than "Dressed to Kill," the last entry in Universal's 12 film Sherlock Holmes series, "Sherlock Holmes in Washington" may be the weakest effort but it remains an enjoyable curio.

In this third film, the attempt to update Holmes for the 20th century reached its zenith as the producers sent the great detective into the very center of the New World, Washington D.C., in another episode devoted to espionage and criminal activity related to World War II. The novelty is tolerable if only because we know there are less gimmicky, superior entries to come, but anyone whose love of Holmes came from the original Conan Doyle stories rather than the film adaptations will wince at this film more than any other. Basil Rathbone entertainingly overplays the role this time, and with his eccentric hairstyle and wardrobe looks less like Sherlock Holmes than my tenth grade high-school English teacher, the one everyone suspected of being gay (not that there's anything wrong with that).

What makes this entry worthwhile, aside from the always entertaining emoting of Rathbone and Nigel Bruce (more bumbling than ever as he discovers the Sunday newspaper comics and chewing gum) is the supporting cast. The superb George Zucco, whose Satanic presence enlivened many a B horror movie and who already appeared as Professor Moriarty in 20th Century Fox's "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," comes slithering back, not as Moriarty but as another demented creature, and Henry Daniell, who would be the best Moriarty of all (in Basil Rathbone's opinion, as well as mine) in "Woman in Green," is also on hand with his share of villainy.

This film may have greatest value for history buffs and sociologists than for Holmes fans, however. It remains fascinating to see how a major Hollywood film studio converted a beloved literary figure into a special agent as a way to contribute to the United States' propaganda campaign during WWII.

A Big Country, Watson, and a Small Match Folder
When I was a wee lad steeped in Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories, this movie struck me as plain awful. It was painful to see Sherlock as a tourist in a wildly inappropriate DC milieu (the back-projected crazy quilt of Washington monuments on his drive around town makes it seem the chauffeur is on crack), spouting pax Americana patriotism and even paying tribute to the crime-fighting superiority of the FBI (??!!). Nigel Bruce was a particular affront as a doddering Dr. Watson, noisily sucking down ice cream sodas and struggling to read 30 pages on a 10-hour transatlantic flight.

But time has been kind to "SH in Washington." This was the first of these movies written by Bertram Millhauser, who always came up with witty dialogue for Rathbone and Bruce and snarky bits of malice for the supporting cast. Basil Rathbone gives a hopped-up performance as Holmes, barking out ludicrously improbable deductions and even reprising his Louis XI imitation as a limp-wristed "eccentric" collector. There is a small gem of a performance from Gerald Hamer (unbilled, sadly) as the master spy who sets the plot in motion -- he gives the movie a few whiffs of danger, intrigue and poignance. And it's hard to dislike a movie with two Moriartys: silky sadist Henry Daniell and glittery-eyed psycho George Zucco. By the way, the suspense hinges on the fate of a fast-dwindling book of matches, so if you're trying to quit smoking, this is not the movie for you.

Washington never looked so good!
I am writing this pre-review to express my Great Expectations and excitement over the upcoming DVD release of the 14 Sherlock Holmes movies made by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
For those of us who have loved and worn out our VHS versions of these films, I am sure that I speak for many of us in expressing incredible anticipation and near shock that someone has finally recognized the need to release a "restored version" of these timeless classics.
We are told that they have been "Preserved and restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive." This is marvelous and I have already pre-ordered Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 from MPI Home Video.
I so hope that the entire 14 movies, are ultimately released in restored condition. Especially the rarest of them, "The Scarlet Claw" which has rarely been shown on televison and only been available on VHS sporadically.
To me and many others I know, Basil Rathbone is the definative Holmes. Not just because he looks alarmingly similar -as much as is humanly possible- to Sidney Pagets drawings of Holmes from the Strand Magazine illustrations, but mostly we love Rathbone because he portrayed the same Holmes that we as readers get through the buffer of Dr. Watson explaining away not magnifying Holmes' shortcomings.
Jeremy Brett chose to amplify every negative aspect of Holmes' personality that in the written versions Watson explained away. Rathbone's Holmes has been demeaned visciously over the past years and hopefully the respect and dignity that he gave his portrayals will be seen in all their accuracy and glory with these new digitally restored releases. ... these will have to be the best quality versions of these classics ever released...so for all of us who have cursed the incomprehensibly awful releases of these films over the years...our time has almost come. Show your support for this effort by ordering a restored version of American Film Histroy.
Much Thanks to UCLA, MPI, and Whoever was ultimately responsible for the idea of doing this!!!!

Sherlock Holmes in Washington
None of these Rathbone/Bruce movies are a very accurate representation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, but I find them enjoyable nevertheless. I always enjoy seeing Rathbone and Bruce in the roles of Holmes and Watson although neither of them would win any awards for accuracy. I found "Sherlock Holmes in Washington" to be one of the more enjoyable films in the series. I love the scene where Holmes is in the antique store even though he makes a mistake that the Holmes in Doyle's stories never would have made. I would recommend this movie as long as you don't mind something that's not very faithful to the canon. If you're looking for something more faithful then I would suggest the Jeremy Brett series (which I also love). ... Read more

Amazon.com

A stylish, often amusing crime drama, this 1938 feature revolves around a central, improbable plot twist that consciously serves its casting against type: as the eponymous doctor, Edward G. Robinson, who had helped define the Warner Bros. style for gritty gangster sagas, jettisons his signature snarl in favor of a plummy, vaguely English accent that underlines his urbane sophistication. Dr. Clitterhouse is a creature of privilege who embarks on a criminal life not out of desperation, but rather through intellectual curiosity; instead of slouch hats and suits, he has marcelled hair and first appears in white tie and tails. He begins pulling off "perfect" jewel thefts as research into the criminal mind, but his gradual immersion in New York's shadowy demimonde of thieves and fences eventually finds the good doctor between those two worlds.

Robinson's principal foils stick closer to their studio strong suits. Humphrey Bogart is "Rocks" Valentine, a sturdy if familiar variation on the hoods and have-nots that were his early stock in trade at the studio. Bogart's fence and former paramour is Jo Keller, played by Claire Trevor as glamorous, streetwise, and otherwise decent, apart from her knack for larceny. When the doctor asks her to fence his glittering contraband, she's intrigued, and Clitterhouse, known to the hoods only as "the Professor," becomes their strategist. Jo is clearly falling for him, while "Rocks" is visibly jealous of the fastidious stranger's rising influence and romantic rivalry.

In keeping with its ultimately goofy premise, the story navigates some eccentric plot turns with an aplomb that can be credited to the solid cast (including other studio stalwarts such as Allen Jenkins, Ward Bond, and Donald Crisp) and the three principals, who would work off each other to much more riveting effect a decade later in Key Largo. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The amazing dr. clitterhouse 2nd best forgotten Bogart movie
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse is a good movie showcaseing Bogies talent even though the script and plot for the movie is not the greatest but none the less a great 87 mins of bogart and edward g. Robinson show caseing their talents Robinson plays Dr. Clitterhouse as a doctor eager to study the physical and mental states of lawbreakers(suspenseful charater)!!Bogarts plays Rocks Valentine a gang memberThis movie also stars Claire Trevor as Jo Keller as the leader of a gang of safecrakers.Now the storylineClitterhouse is a overzealous psychologist who joins a small time safecracking gang(bogart is in it!!!!) who takes the gang members and take their blood and examins it to furgure out what makes a criminal do criminal things!!!!!Overall this is a good movie because of two main elements the first which is edward g. Robinson plays the overzealous doctor who joins a gang for medical purposes!And 2nd element is bogart playing his usual pre- maltese falcon gangstergood movie to see great movie to own to complete your collection of bogart or robinson4 of 5 starsI hope you like the movie

The Clitterhouse Movie: Drama? Melodrama? or Just Goofy?
Director Anatole Litwak took quite a chance in 1939 with THE AMAZING DR. CLITTERHOUSE. He reunited such stars as Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart, who had squared off only three years earlier in THE BATTLING BELLHOP. Bogart, as usual, plays the back-stabbing criminal who sees the world only in terms of how it may enrich him. The real star, however, is Robinson, who goes against type as the suave and urbane surgeon who decides that the origins of crime are biological, rather than sociological. As Doctor Clitterhouse, Robinson is successful and widely admired, yet he feels that despite his stature as a respected high class physician, there is something missing from his life. That missing something is his contribution to the then ongoing controversy about the origin of crime. To Clitterhouse, crime is organic and its effects on the human body are quantifiable and measurable. He intends to prove to the world that, beyond doubt, criminals are born, not made. He joins a mob of thiefs led, improbably enough by Claire Trevor, who later develops feelings for him, much to the chagrin of Bogart, who has eyes for her himself. Clitterhouse leads the gang into several highly successful robberies, and at each step of the way, he examines each thief for variations in organic responses to light, heat, sound, and stress. The movie slows a bit in the second half when Trevor and Robinson reach out for a romance that goes nowhere. The ending, which places Clitterhouse in a trial, is both funny and on point. Throughout the movie, Clitterhouse is a doctor driven to prove his point that crime is organically based. The ending allows the film to shift focus to the question as to whether Clitterhouse had things wrong after all. The ending implies that a criminal's mental state of mind ought somehow factor not only into the origin of crime, but its punishment as well. Clitterhouse's reaction to the jury's verdict ironically implies that a many-layered blanket of origin versus punishment can never be neatly decided by any jury. At the end, even Clitterhouse realizes that.

Entertainment
EG Rombinson plays a real doctor with a scientific interest in the psychological motivations and aspects of criminals. As he takes this journey for the sake a research, he gets more than he bargins for, with a twist ending.
Although this is another example of Bogart as a bad guy, criticism may fall toward the fact that he is still young here and not as polished. Robinson seems to read through his lines very quickly. Other issues are present in the production, but basically, it is fun entertainment, and not worth dissecting until it is a worthless heap. See it for a fun ride.

YES! It's out again!
I saw this movie on TV almost ten years ago. When I went to look for purchase, no luck. Every now and again, I would--well, here it is. Edward G. Robinson is fantastic in a milder role where he isn't as bad as BOGART, leader of a rough gangster group. In fact, Robinson plays a medical doctor taking an interest in crime's effect on the human condition. Great story, wonderful character interaction--tension. This is the type of movie that cries to be seen over and over because of its subtle messages on society, law, and the psyche. Enjoy!

The Unbelievable Dr. Clitterhouse
Edward G. Robinson stars as Dr. Clitterhouse, a man fascinated by criminals and what makes them tick. In the name of science, he pulls of a series of heists, observing his accomplices in action and then later checking their vital signs, etc to determine the effect that crime has on men. A suspicious Humphrey Bogart leads the accomplices, while Claire Trevor as the fence, and Gale Page as his nurse, are the women who worry about him. The story is pretty unbelievable but it maintains interest, and the performers are good, especially Robinson. It's not a bad movie, but it's not likely the film that you'll remember Robinson, Bogart, or Trevor for. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

The Blue Bird
As a small child I remember seeing this lesser-known movie, and it so impressed me that I wanted our small grandchildren to see it. I hadn't seen it since then, so I watched it again to make sure it was as I remembered. I know that when our "grands" come soon, they will enjoy it as much as I did years ago. Shirley Temple was magical little child, and the story line is unusual for a Shirley Temple movie in that it is a fantasy tale. I heartily recommend it for small children!

"The Blue Bird means Hapiness"says Berri Lou
This is my favorite Shirley Temple movie and I being a lover of "The Wizard of Oz," I fell in love with "The Blue Bird" also. I love stories that have fantasy plots and adventures of young children seeking love and/or happiness. The characters in the story are very creative and loveable-except for the mean Tylette and the greedy Luxuries. The setting is beautiful for being an early 1940's picture. I'm a big fan of Shirley Temple and love anything she does, but this is my favorite all time movie of hers. If you have children or are a child of the heart, rent or buy the movie from the trustworthy Amazon.com. If you miss out on this movie, you are missing out on a classic picture.

Sub-par attempt at Wizard of Oz
I previewed this movie for my 5 year old after all the great reviews I saw on Amazon... This movie has poor production. The shifting from black and white to color was not explained but just happens.
Then it is down right scary!
Walking across the grave yard at midnight comes out ok but I'm curious Why can't light go with them? No real reason is given.
the script is poor and pathetic. The lines these children were made to say makes me shutter...
Someone raved about the grandma scene.. It teaches your child to think Grandma is only "alive" when you think about her. Yuck! Why lay that burden on a childs' shoulders.
Oh and BTW all babies are pretty and caucasion before being born.
The big fire scene is really frighting.
Not to mention the script writer must have hated cats!
This is not a movie for Cat lovers.
I can understand why I had never heard of this movie.
The production writing and acting leave a whole bunch to be desired.

Grandmas house
when i was younger and i would visit my grandmas house, before bed i got to choose a movie to fall alseep to "The Blue Bird" was always my choice. the movie was filled with imagination and wonder. i fell in love with it the first time i saw it. now that my grandma has past away i want my own copy. not only because its my favorite movie, but because there will always be great memories with it.

A Remarkable film
"The Blue Bird" Has to be one of the most beautiful and underrated films ever made. I am also a big fan of "The Wizard of Oz" But Iv always felt that The Wizard of oz was not a childrens due to it's scary scenes and I for one used to be very afraid of it. I could never just sit and watch it because I would always be worried about one Scary Scene after another. With The Blue Bird you can sit back and relax while your chiled gets a good clear useful message from the film. I advise any parent to show there children "The Blue Bird" before showing the Wizard of oz. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Cagney Is In His Element
James Cagney and George Raft are in the prime of their respective careers in this film about life in prison. Cagney is a convict who is innocent. Raft is his ally who leads an attempted escape. Cagney is very much in his element in this environment and plays his part with particular gusto.

Framed By Crooked Politicians
EACH DAWN I DIE is a movie about a reporter who is framed for manslaughter by crooked politicians and sent to prison where he befriends a hardened criminal. Most of the story takes place in prison as the reporter slowly turns into an embittered inmate. James Cagney stars as the reporter and George Raft plays the part of his prison buddy. The strong supporting cast includes Jane Bryan, George Bancroft, Victor Jury and Maxie Rosenbloom.

Director William Keighley also directed THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER and THE FIGHTING 69th.

A 1939 BLOCKBUSTER.
The title refers to what many prison inmates feel when they awaken in the morning: it's a timeless - albeit poetic - metaphor. As a pugnacious reporter, Cagney unearths evidence that will put some hight-level politicians in jail. Before he can get his material into print, he is abducted, knocked unconscious and put into a car, booze poured over him & the vehicle sent careening down the street where it runs over a man and kills him. The brutal frame-up works: Cagney is convicted of manslaughter and is sent to prison, where he befriends smooth crook George Raft (as "Hood" Stacey), a crime boss. On the train to the Big House, Raft smiles and jokingly asks Cagney to write a piece about him - cause he likes his name in the paper...Once inside Rocky Point, Cagney pleads again and again for parole, which is repeatedly denied him...Cagney and Raft had known each other in vaudeville back in the late twenties. Raft, a real-life tough guy had various connections with hoodlums and bootleggers: Owney Madden & Joe Adonis to name a couple. Raft even picked up their own particular mannerisms and he had a very short fuse in real life. But Raft got along well with Cagney: advantageously making this film a blockbuster hit in its day: owing to a tight script and the electric acting of the leads, this one is far above average in the category of crime films.

"Throw me back in the hole, I can take it"
William Keighley's Each Dawn I Die set the tone for the prison genre. Oz it is not, but for 1939, Each Dawn I Die presents viewer insights to the jargon, code of ethics, and behavior of hardened convicts. John Wray as Pete the prison guard barks through his lines like a rattled pit bull. George Raft, who seemed to be forever dressed in prison garb, plays Stacey a "lifer" who is sprung to aid newsreporter Ross (James Cagney) who has been framed for manslaughter. Cagney shows glimpses of his emotional explosiveness as Ross breaks down befoe a parole board. Raft is in prime form cooly delivering lines that would make Edward G. Robinson proud. The prison break scenes are shot and edited realistically and provide reference points for future prison films such as Brute Force and Caged. Still other scenes are highly improbable and mirorred in Hollywood fare. ( Stacey giving himself up in front of the penitentiary, and the warden's mushy sentimentality to name just two). These shortcomings restricted Each Dawn I Die from attaining a higher echelon among crime films. Still the sixty-one year old film retains its credibility among the genre and is worth owning.

Deep film, filled with emotion, action, love, and pain.
This film is about a man who was framed and then put in jail. It shows his struggle to bring the real criminals to justice. Definately a classic! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

CRASH DIVE SOARS - TRANSFER IS SUSPECT, THOUGH.
"Crash Dive," a melodramatic lover's triangle between naval heroes (Tyrone Power and Dana Andrews) and the girl they both love (Anne Baxter), is one of those standard war flicks made at the height of conflict (1943). Remarkably, it continues to stir up patriotism and lift the spirits, despite a somewhat heavy handed script and some truncated bits of romance that seem to be inserts into an otherwise straight forward and compelling adventure movie. Powers is a reluctant executive officer aboard a submarine. His relationship with his new captain (Andrews) becomes strained after he realizes that they are in love with the same woman. All this is background fodder for the real plot of the movie - a mid-Atlantic ambush of a secret German island and its Nazi military base.
THE TRANSFER: Filmed on location, Leon Shamroy's lush Technicolor photography is the real star of "Crash Dive" and although the film has dated considerably, there's still enough gleam in the original negative to compel the viewer onward. Colors are rich and for the most part, nicely balanced. Occasionally there are scenes in which the color scheme becomes unstable or flickers. There is also an abundance of age related artifacts that detract from the overall visual presentation. Black and contrast levels are generally solid. There's a slight haze over some of the scenes as well. Digital anomalies are not an issue on this disc. The audio has been cleaned up and is nicely presented. EXTRAS: None.

BOTTOM LINE: If you're a cinema war junky, then "Crash Dive" will suit you tastes. But it does not represent the best of genre by any means. The DVD's middle of the road picture quality is a let down.

A nice surprise for the war effort
Filmed as the actual battle for the Atlantic was taking place is the 1943 drama "Crash Dive" starring Tyrone Powers. These types of movies are a common phenomenon during wartime to help lift peoples spirits on the homefront and drum up patriotic fervor. Here the American sailors are fighting the good fight against the despicable Nazi war machine.
However, this DVD offers a surprise. It is actually a very well made and entertaining adventure movie with enough splashes of romantic subplot and action to keep everyone in the family happy.
Powers plays a PT boat crewmember who is unwillingly transferred as executive officer aboard a submarine based out of the New London, Conn. base. Initially he gets along well with his new captain until he realizes that the two of them are in love with the same woman. The two must learn to trust one another and work together to investigate a mysterious ship in the mid-Atlantic and destroy the secret German island base that is being used by the Nazi's as a staging point for attacks on the Allied shipping lanes.
Filmed on location with the full cooperation of the War Department the movie is presented in technicolor and although the color on the DVD transfer is somewhat saturated it is still relatively clear of blemishes. Where the DVD is lacking however is in special features merely offering a selection of trailers of the other Fox war titles.

Good Hollywood Submarine Film for War Effort
This 1943 film made during the War boasts beautiful color Cinematography by Leon Shamroy. Basically it sets up a love triangle between naval heroes Tyrone Power and Dana Andrews and the girl they love Anne Baxter. The actual United States Navy submarine base at Groton, Connecticut was used in some of the location photography. Fred Sersen won an Oscar for Special Photographic Effects and Roger Heman for Special Sound Effects. Also featured are James Gleason, Dame May Whitty and Henry Morgan.

Submarines and Anne Baxter
Crash Dive was released the same year as Destination Tokyo, and I think the latter was the better film. Not to slam this movie too much, because it's entertaining enough. But the focus in Crash Dive is different, spending a considerable amount of time off the submarine as Tyrone Power and Dana Andrews clash over the affections of an incredibly beautiful Anne Baxter. The performances are as good as you could expect with this kind of material, and the action scenes are quite effective. But it's the kind of movie you can watch and then forget pretty soon afterwards. It's entertaining, but without much impact.

Tyrone Power in one of his best action films.
Tyrone Power shows us in this film, he's a real man, and a real ladies man with love interest Anne Baxter. Dana Andrews co-stars in this example of a fine war movie. If you collect war films, this one is a must. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Fast Paced
This movie starts out as one of the best Abbott & Costello feature films...it kind of falls flat at the end though. The first 3/4 of the movie is fast paced with some of their funniest routines. The highlights are when they try to fix a leaky faucet & one of their funniest routines ever...also just by itself worth purchasing this film...the Susquehanna Hat Company...fabulous. Everytime I see that routine it cracks me up...a true classic. Overall this is a very good movie...the last 25 minutes could've been better though.

Abbott & Costello take apart the world of High Society
Abbott and Costello come up with one of their best films with the 1944 comedy "In Society." Bud is Eddie Harrington and Lou is Albert Mansfield, a couple of plumbers called in to repair the leak in the bathroom of the wealthy Mr. Van Cleve (Thurston Hall), whose wife (Nella Walker) is hosting a costume ball (already, you know this is going to be a good one). The boys arrive at the Van Cleve mansion in a taxi driven by Elsie Hammerdingle (Marion Hutton), who is mistaken for a costumed guest by playboy Peter Evans (Kirby Grant). Meanwhile, the boys are destroying the upstairs bathroom and flooding the master bedroom. Mrs. Van Cleve writes an angry letter to the plumbers but ends up mailing the boys an invitation to a society weekend at the estate of Mrs. Winthrop (Margaret Irving). Just to complete the fun, Peter has already invited Elise to the same shindig. The second act of "In Society" reminds you a lot of the Marx Brothers' "Animal Crackers," as Drexel (Thomas Gomez), a loan shark, tries to enlist the boys in a plot to steal the valuable painting, "The Plunger" (LOL). This ends up setting up a frantic chance scene at the end, involving a fire truck.

"In Society" joins that long list of comic films in which the madcaps encounter the world of high society and proceed to destroy it, although this one is not as anarchistic as "Animal Crackers." With Abbott & Costello it is always a series of unintentional accidents. The destruction of the bathroom is the best sequence in the film, which also includes the classic burlesque piece "Fleugel Street," where Lou tries to deliver hats to the Pioneer Hat company and everybody he meets beats him up and breaks a hat. The original story for "In Society" was written by Hugh Wedlock, Jr. and Howard Snyder, who used to write gags for Jack Benny. John Grant, Edmund L. Hartmann and Hal Fimberg got screenplay credit for turning the story into more of a workable Abbott & Costello movie. The female romantic interest Marion Hutton, the sister of actress Betty Hutton, had been a singer with the Glenn Miller orchestra and had introduced "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree." Oh, final note: Arthur Treacher, the screen's greatest Butler, plays Pipps the Butler in this film.

lots of creative comedy scenes
Abbott and Costello create another winner as two bumbling plumbers trying to work their way into society bathrooms. This movie has a lot of whacky physical humor balanced by a good story.

There is also a special effects error in this film that most people don't notice. Watch the car chase carefully during the part where a car is hanging from the ladder truck. At one point you will see that car defy the law of gravity.

Fun!
This Movie was very fun.You will laugh and laugh. This has parts like the susquehannah hat company, When the float around a bedroom in a tub and fly down a street in a couch.Just too many long lousy songs

ONE OF ABBOTT & COSTELLO' S BEST FEATURES
Bud and Lou are at it again. In this film the "DYNAMIC DUO" of comedy play two bumbling plumbers who are mistaken for members of society.

The BEST highlights in this film are: (1) BAGEL STREET. A hat salesman friend of the boys asks them the favor of returning a box of strawhats,sent to him by mistake by the manufacturer (one wonders WHY ANY0NE would ENTRUST A & C with such a task). On their way to deliever the hats,the pair run into a bunch of ZANIES. When Lou asks them directions to "BAGEL STREET", the lament to him the poor experiences they had their. However, when Costello mentions the name of the hat factory "SUSQUEHANNA HAT COMPANY" these people go BESERK and nearly destroy the box of strawhats as they take their FRUSTRATIONS out on Lou, who can do nothing but stand there and take the abuse. (2) The climatic chase scene. This scene uses chase footage from W.C. Fields' comedy "NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK". The boys commandeer a hook-and-ladder fire truck, complete with aged fireman who has NEVER driven a firetruck before. UNKNOWN to them the ladder half of the truck is UNLOCKED, and as luck would have it, Costello IS RIDING in the cabin. As Lou climbs out onto the ladder, he begins to howl and whine as the truck goes through a series of ZANY curves and manoevers. (Roger Moore does a POOR imitation of this scene in his last 'JAMES BOND' film "A VIEW TO A KILL" ). But NO ONE does it BETTER than Lou Costello. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Watch Mary Go!!
George Brent is having a hard time managing the women in his life. He spends years in love with Bette Davis, but she won't marry him because he isn't ready to settle down. He marries fiery concert pianist Mary Astor, only to discover her divorce from her first husband isn't finalized. When she won't bend to his will, he goes back to Davis and marries her, only to disappear in the Brazilian jungle, leaving behind a broken-hearted Davis and a pregnant Astor. The story behind The Great Lie is, needless to say, a bit farfetched. It relies a lot on the viewer suspending their disbelief. What really keeps this film moving is the sparring between Davis and Astor. I've always enjoyed and appreciated Mary Astor, and in this film she's given a character right up her alley. She sinks into the roll, throwing out her lines with obvious relish and taking control of every scene she's in. Davis is good in a quieter performance, letting Astor have the spotlight. Brent is his usual self, and Hattie McDaniel is given more dialogue and character to work with than her standard maid role, and she is very strong. The music is a bit overpowering and over the top, but then again, so is the whole scenario of the story. The strength of this melodrama is Mary Astor in one of her best performances. The film is never believable, but she makes it fun to watch.

Excellent film with great performances from Davis and Astor
This is one of the long run of film successes Bette Davis enjoyed in her golden period at Warners in the Early 40's. The film is very interesting as it provides a strong role for another female, in this case the marvellous Mary Astor. The film develops into an emotional tug of war between these two strong women, first over the George Brent character and then Astor's son. Bette Davis in a refreshing change in pace plays the nice girl while Mary Astor has a field day in the role of the selfish concert pianist for which she rightly won the academy award that year as best supporting actress. I always enjoy Astor's film acting from "Midnight" to "The Maltese Falcon" to "Meet Me in St Louis" She was a superb actress who had a rather disjointed film career ranging from playing femme fatales to loving mothers. In "The Great Lie" she has never been better and more than holds her own up against Bette Davis in the acting honours. One would have thought there would be fireworks on the set of this production as there was between Bette and Miriam Hopkins during production of the superb "The Old Maid" but no the two got on very well together, worked beautifully together and Mary Astor ever after spoke highly of Davis's care towards her during production and publicly thanked her during her Oscar acceptance speech for her help during production of "The Great Lie"
The production itself shows all the care that went into a Bette Davis production during the 40's. The supporting cast from the Warner Bros stable namely George Brent is excellent as always. With superb actresses like Lucile Watson and the wonderful Hattie Mcdaniel (who has some really beautiful dialogue in the scenes after Davis "adapts" Astor's baby ) how could the production go wrong? The musical score is also one of the best of the early forties as well.
Soap Opera it may be but done with such finesse that the whole viewing is an engrossing experience. There are a number of amusing scenes included as well like the scene of Bette "pacing" up and done like an expectant father while Astor goes into labour which at the time was viewed as being "too Lesbian"!!! Also worth mentioning is Astor's "mad" scene as she gets fed up with living in the desert with Davis..it's a riot and her scream sounds like something out of "Whatever happened to Baby Jane"!! It's such a hoot
I recommend this great film strongly, firstly as a great showcase for two fine actresses working superbly off each other and secondly as a great example of Hollywood production and the excellent care that went into these films in the Golden era of Hollywood

How'd I miss this one?
I love these old movies -- I often get hooked in the early morning on AMC and TCM, have to get to work late! But I'd never seen this one before. Great soapy movie. Two things really stand out: Bette Davis is just beautiful in this film, and usually she --frankly -- looks a little odd. The second thing is, how expectant mothers behaved in the 40's! Twelve cigarettes since lunch indeed.

TWO DIVAS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE..AT THEIR MELODRAMATIC BEST..
This 1941 film release is a superlative melodrama with a classic cast. The stellar ensemble of Bette Davis, George Brent, Mary Astor, Hattie McDaniel, and Lucille Watson lights up the screen in this story of true love. It is Mary Astor, however, who sends it soaring and leaves little doubt as to why she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Mary Astor plays the role of Sandra, a temperamental concert pianist, who marries Peter (George Brent), the on again, off again beau of Sandra's rival, Maggie (Bette Davis). They get married while Peter is in an alcoholic stupor in New York. After spending the night together, it turns out that their marriage was not legal, as Sandra's divorce from her first husband was not final. When Sandra is faced with the choice of marrying him on the day the divorce is final or playing a concert, she makes a choice that leaves Peter free to marry Maggie.

Shortly after their marriage, Peter, an experienced aviator and cartographer, is called away on a governmental mission. In the interim, Sandra tells Maggie that she is carrying Peter's child and vows to use that fact to get him back. Peter's plane, however, is reported missing over a remote area of the Amazon jungle, and he is presumed dead. This, of course, throws a monkey wrench into Sandra's plans, as she does not want the baby without Peter. Maggie, who is not pregnant and has no hope now of ever having a child by Peter, strikes a deal with Sandra that will allow Maggie to pass off Sandra's and Peter's baby, as if it were hers and Peter's. It is like making a pact with the devil, as Maggie will soon find out.

This is an enormously entertaining film with great dialogue between the two protagonists, Sandra and Maggie. Ms. Astor does a decided star turn as the temperamental and brilliant, world acclaimed concert pianist. Ms. Astor plays her as a diva of the first order, and she deservedly won an Academy Award for her performance. The role of Maggie, who is the good girl from the south, has its moments in the hands of such an accomplished actress as Ms. Davis. The dialogue between the two is always crisp and interesting. George Brent is perfectly cast in the role of Peter, a wealthy chap who is desired by two gloriously different women. Lucille Watson has a small part as Maggie's aunt, and Hattie McDaniel plays Maggie's ever present mammy. The film is topped of by the powerful music of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto.

This is a film that lovers of classic melodramas will enjoy, as will lovers of classical music.

FANTASTIC
Nothing more to add except that two of my favorite scenes are when Mary Astor loses it in the desert, she starts screaming and Bette Davis (looking beautiful in that sweater) promptly slaps her TWICE. Is this cult or what?. Then when her husband chooses her (crying) over Astor. Isn't it a great classic? (Soundtrack perfect) ... Read more

Reviews (1)

THREE CHEERS!
This film has poignant interaction, on screen and off. Jane Powell was at the beginning of her joyful musical career and Jeanette MacDonald, a highly revered musical sweetheart, was at the end of hers. The two play a mother and daughter and a tender highlight of the film was when they sang SPRINGTIDE, blending their beautiful voices together.

Jeanette, estranged from her husband for many years, falls for a pianist and orchestra leader, Jose Iturbi. Jane and her two sisters are determind to break up this relationship and bring their father back for a reunion. Jeanette goes on a cruise to clear her head and her daring daughters continue their shenanigans. Weaving in and out of one obstacle after another, all finally ends well. After all, this is a musical.

The film overflows with really beautiful music. Jeanette gives us WHERE THERE'S LOVE and SWEETHEARTS. Jose adds RUMANIAN RHAPSODY IN A, with his sister, Impala, followed by LIEBESTRAUM, HUNGARIAN FANTASY and THE RITUAL FIRE DANCE. Jane opens with ALMA MATER and continues with Leo Delibes PASSEPIED, Victor Herbert's FLEURETTE and a vibrant JE VEUX VIVRE from Gounod's "Romeo and Juliet". You'll also hear a honky-tonk ROUTE SIXTY-SIX by Powell and the sparkling DICKEY BIRD SONG sung by all the ladies.

A splendid musical venture! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Powell will Wow & Skelton will Tickle the Funny Bone, But..
...it is not a completec lassically great film. Although it is very high entertainment. Eleanor Powell does a fantastic scene opener with the Jimmy Dorsey Band and background singers as a lasso-ing tap dancing cowgirl. This scene will leave one begging for more as it is daring, fast, and ahead of it's time. Red Skelton plays her admirer and soon finds himself marrying her. It's all silly fluff, but it never hurts to watch it and laugh and be entertained.

I Dood It
Silly flick, only redeeming quality is the Dorsey Orchestra! The arrangements are excellent. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Boy-and-his-dog story aimed at kids, but heavy on the civics
Columbia's "Rusty" series of the late 1940s were small-town dramas centering around Danny (Ted Donaldson, one of the better juvenile actors) and his German shepherd Rusty (a handsome animal). This entry has Danny and his pals encountering a mysterious, uncommunicative stranger in town, and running afoul of the man who owns the land where their clubhouse is. Youngsters will enjoy Rusty (and Rusty's girlfriend, Barb), but some of this plays like an instructional film; the morality-play script spreads the civics lesson mighty thick as the kids learn about good citizenship. The film is well made, like most Columbia's "B" pictures, and the print is gorgeous. A technical note: some copies of this title are in the extended-play mode and may not track properly on all machines. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

An invitation to better histories of this important era
Lavish biodrama on the life and times of President Woodrow Wilson (and therefore the US's involvement in the First World War, which traditionally is called the Great War, of course, and in its time and for some years was called The World War). This film seems to be getting discovered lately, though it has been available on tape since the 1980s. Some of it is even accurate, no small thing for a 1940s biodrama dealing with human complexities. Alexander Knox in the title role is differently shaped and less serious-looking than his namesake, but he does capture well the habit of lecturing everybody.

There's an intense sequence in the middle around the entry of the US into the war. In the actual events, late on January 31, 1917, Ambassador Count Johann von Bernstorff notified the US State Department that Germany would resume submarine warfare against neutral (i.e., US) vessels in blockade areas (a policy, by the way, that Bernstorff himself had lobbied against vigorously with his government). This and subsequent events are compressed into a vivid sequence where Bernstorff presents the news late at night to Wilson. The President (the former professor) then gives the envoy the lecture of his life on Imperial German aggression, arrogance, and racism; orders Bernstorff deported; and in the next scene, summons Congress, requests and receives a declaration of war. (So there!) The live Wilson was much less decisive (evidently obsessed with remaining neutral and mediating, a role he pressed in modified form after the war), but no doubt the dramatized stand against Germany played well to US movie audiences in 1944. Another memorable scene soon after concerns civilian volunteers serving refreshments to US soldiers.

The interested reader can find fascinating details in any number of histories and biographies of the era, such as Tuchman's _Zimmerman Telegram_ (ISBN 0345324250 in paperback), which addresses events around the US entry into the war. Tuchman depicts the labyrinthine intrigues in the US during the neutrality. Thus, senior German agents in New York were so diligently trailed by multiple sets of secret police (from the US and other countries) that crowds of them would collect in hotel lobbies (nonchalantly, of course), watching their common subject and casually reading newspapers. The interested reader, for that matter, will enjoy all of Tuchman's books, about various times and places, because she is such an outstanding writer. For further insight into the old aristocratic European order that the Great War undid, see _Grand Illusion,_ 1937 (the movie, not the reviews about it). For more on the human side of the war, see the timeless classic _All Quiet on the Western Front_ (1931, US Best-Picture Oscar).

Some people today might forget that the First World War ended 11/11/1918 not in any sort of victory but rather in a negotiated cease-fire acknowledging stalemate. At the time of the cease-fire, Germany occupied vast territories beyond her prewar borders. 103 years earlier, after the Napoleonic wars, a peace conference (the "Congress of Vienna") opportunistically divided war-torn Europe and "gave" some smaller countries to larger countries, occupants of the smaller countries having limited voice in the matter. The resulting resentment and underground nationalism fostered terrorist acts including those that ignited the First World War. After that war, a peace conference at Versailles forced, at French insistence, Germany (economically blockaded and starving) to accept humiliating terms and pay ruinous reparations. The resulting resentment and nationalism in Germany fostered the rise of Nazism and the eventual Second World War, in which France was conquered in 1940. Whatever the merit of what-if games, evidently the French statesmen at the Versailles peace conference had failed to learn an important lesson.

LONG Bio Of American President
Alexander Knox stars as Woodrow Wilson, beginning at his time at Princeton, moving on to his time as Governor of New Jersey, and of course, concluding with his important years as President. I can't say that Wilson was the most compelling man, although his dry wit is fun, but he was around during WWI and the creation of the League of Nations, so he was important and those events help to keep the film interesting. Knox is very good as Wilson, and he is surrounded by a large supporting cast that does well. A lot of money was obviously put into this production, from sets to costumes. But the film really seems quite long and a little too reverential. Maybe the scope was too great, although I think a little trimming would not have hurt the film either. There are obviously moments included to help bolster the American war effort during WWII, since this film was made in 1944. In any case, although there is much to admire here and it is interesting history, do be prepared to sit for a while.

Excellent Historical Movie
Maltin is correct about the movie.

Despite its flaws, this was a serious effort to present a film about an important president's political life. If it was propaganda for anything, it was aimed at opposing any recrudescent American isolationism in the post WW II period....

Awful
Any student studying history should skip this movie if they want facts about Wilson. This movie portrays Wilson as a peace and civil rights fighter while in reality, he was a white supremacist and imperialist. But good movie to study how history is glorified because this film is good at glorifying Wilson who probably is one of our ugliest presidents. The funniest scene is when Wilson scolds the German ambassador which is pure fiction (remember that this movie was made during WW2). Leonard Maltin needs to study his history a litte more. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Delightful and Innocent Movie
Three Smart Girls Grow Up is a delighful movie about a young girl playing matchmaker to her two sisters. Deanna Durbin has long been one of my favorites and in this film she proves why. She's a natural actress, her voice is beautiful, and the plot of Three Smart Girls Grow Up though slight takes us back to another time. The clothes in the movie are beautiful (in particular an outfit that Nan Grey, playing Deanna's sister, wears early in the movie) and the sets are excellent as well. I'd love to more of Deanna Durbin's films.

It is fantastic
Deanna Durbin is more than perfect. She sings beautifuly. If you enjoy family comedies this is the movie for you. You will laugh while you are watching this comedy of "errors". The movie is tiwce as good as "Three Smart Girls". ... Read more