Reviews (10)

It's magic with Doris Day in her film debut.
Janis Paige would just once like to go on a honeymoon vacation with her husband, Don DeFore (Hazel tv series), but everytime their anniversary comes up, he has got business to take care of. Meanwhile, Doris day plays a nightclub singer. She dreams of going on a trip somewhere. She is obsessed with going to the travel agency. Even has seven passports. Janis paige and Doris Day get their passports done the same day, but Janis got Doris' passport. They meet again and Janis has an idea. Janis wants to spy on her husband in secret. She invites Doris on the same cruise trip with expenses paid under Janis' name.
Watch the fun begin!
Doris day is a delight in this her film feature film debut. She sings "It's Magic!".
***Be sure to buy the CD "Doris day--A Day At The Movies". Tunes from this movie and other Doris Day films are included.

DUMB, DUMBER, DUMBEST
This is one of those movies which, in memory, seems so much funnier, sweeter, sillier, downright BETTER than it actually is: mainly because of the presence of Doris Day.

The script makes no sense whatsoever: rich, spoiled, battling, married couple hires snoops to follow their supposedly cheating mates. And neither one suspects a thing. The movie keeps churning out dumb and dumber dialogue in each succeeding scene. All the characters, if taken seriously, would be horribly unlikeable, but none of the characters is even an inch thicker than one dimensional cardboard. Jack Carson, in many movies a clever comedian, is lost as Doris Day's romantic interest; Janis Paige is shrill as Doris' bratty employer; Oscar Levant contributes his usual neurotic presence; and then there's Doris. Her voice, her face, her charm, her simplicity all make this movie watchable.

None of Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne's songs is memorable except...and it's a big exception..."It's Magic" which is one of the most beautiful songs Day ever recorded.

What A Magical Film
I love Doris Day Movies and I own all 39/39 of her movies but I have to say that this is my favorite one. Doris was so magical in this role as Miss Georgia Kent and Who can forget Jack Carsons fantastic Role as the Detective. Elvira Kent (Janis Page) thinks that Her Husband is being unfaithful and her husband thinks the same about her. So they both make the other one think they are going on their honeymoon so they each send a spy but they don't know that the other one didn't go. Well Georgia uses the name of Elvira Kent and The Detective thinks she is Elivra Kent and they go on a merry little chase. This movie was Doris's Film Debut and she sings my personal favorite song in this movie It's Magic. And who can forget the catchy tune the Tourist Trade. What a beautiful movie. This is a great movie for the whole family to enjoy.

DAY'S FILM DEBUT IS "MAGIC"
Doris Day began her long and phenomenally successfully screen career when she arrived on the Warner Brothers lot in 1947 to begin filming "Romance on the High Seas".
The project had been kicking around the lot for a while and there had been, at various times, talks about borrowing Judy Garland from MGM or Betty Hutton from Paramount to star in it.
At the time Doris Day was a recognized singer with a very successful six year career as a top big band and solo vocalist to her credit, including a couple of Gold Records. She had no interest in pursuing a film career but was heard singing at a Hollywood party, was screen tested, and the rest is cinema history.
"Romance on the High Seas" is a glossy, bon-bon of a film, decked out in lush settings, with a lot of nice-looking people, pleasant tunes, and wrapped up in some breathtaking technicolor. It's irresistable.
The plot involves a married couple who don't trust one another. The husband hires a private eye to follow the wife on a cruise she is taking to find out if she is being faithful. In the meantime, the wife hires someone to take her place on the cruise so she can remain in New York City to check up on the husband. The private eye falls in love with the woman who is purporting to be the wife and by the closing minutes of the film all of the confusion has been settled to everyones' satisfaction, especially the audiences.
Thanks to the skill of Director Michael Curtiz, who keeps the proceedings moving along smoothly and the attractive cast making the improbabilities rather believable, it works much better than it sounds.
The husband and wife are played by Don DeFore and Janis Paige. It's clearly evident why Defore's movie career was never stellar. On television's "Hazel" he was more at home.
Miss Paige handles her limited screen time with grace and charm. She wears a stylish wardrobe attractively but displays not one iota of chemistry with DeFore.
Jack Carson, as the detective, tends to overact in a number of scenes but in his scenes with Doris Day there is genuine warmth and, at times, subtlety. This was the first of three films they made together and it is clear that their personal friendship contributed to their on-screen playing.
Although billed fourth in the credits, Doris Day stole the picture and received the lion's share of acclaim from critics and moviegoers.
She is a natural, and it's difficult to believe that this is her first film. She has a natural affinity with the camera and it has a love affair with her. In color, she is a radiant dream, genuine, sincere, unaffected, and heartfelt. There are already traces of the comic timing and skill that would serve her so well in her later box-office blockbusters in the 1950's and 60's.
As a "dreamer" who hangs around a travel agency wanting to go someplace, there are traces of Betty Hutton in her style, but once she gets her chance to masquerade as Paige's wife, she develops her own unique personality that has the audience clearly on her side.
S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall is his usual self and Oscar Levant, the famed author, wit, and musician, is wry and sarcastic as Day's longtime boyfriend. Year's later he boasted that he knew Day "...before she was a virgin...", a remark that has followed her to this day.
Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne put together a pleasing group of songs for this film including "I'm in Love", "It's You or No One", "Put em in a Box...." and the film's mega-hit, "It's Magic". Doris Day's recording of this Oscar nominated song, topped the charts for months, becoming a Gold Record hit and a tune forever identified with her. When she initially sings it during a lovely scene with Carson at an outdoor cafe, a star was indeed born.
If you're looking for an entertaining film that won't place any demands upon you but will leave you feeling warm, fuzzy, and uplifted by the time the end credits roll, then set sail for some "Romance on the High Seas".

Do Not Disturbed
I have looked and looked for this movie and can not find it if any one knows where I can get would you please let me know I sure would like to have thank you very much ... Read more

Amazon.com

Fred Astaire took one of his final musical turns in this delightful 1957 comedy, a cold war update of the classic Ninotchka. Cyd Charisse, having previously wrapped her endless legs around Fred in The Band Wagon, plays the Greta Garbo role: a humorless Soviet functionary who sternly refuses the allure of Paris… for a while, anyway. Like some of the first widescreen musicals, Silk Stockings feels a little slowed down by the horizontal format, but nothing can dim the sparkle of Astaire and Charisse, nor quench the razzmatazz of Janis Paige. Paige and Astaire assess the current state of movies by singing that films today need "glorious Technicolor, breathtaking CinemaScope, and Stereophonic sound!" In the hands of Cole Porter, that phrase becomes wonderfully musical--and by the way, it's nice to see the composer identified with so many breezy 1930s songs staying au courant in the age of Sputnik and television. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A delightful musical
Cyd Charisse, Fred Astaire and Janis Paige star in the film version of the Broadway musical SILK STOCKINGS, based on the comedy NINOTCHKA.

Cyd is captivating as Ninotchka, a Russian Communist who is sent to Paris to retrieve three wayward Communists (Peter Lorre, Jules Munshin and Joseph Buloff) from a capatalist fate.

She meets the 'decadent' American producer (Fred Astaire) and the beautiful movie actress Peggy Dainton (Janis Paige).

Soon, however, she warms to capatalist ideas and dresses in silks and satins, and falls in love.............

A beautiful musical that will delight and amaze you.

Featuring the songs 'Fated To Be Mated', 'All Of You', 'Satin And Silk', 'Josephine', 'So Good To Be Bad', 'Stereophonic Sound', 'Red Blues' and 'The Ritz Rock And Roll'.

RITZY LOOKING TRANSFER OF A GREAT MOVIE MUSICAL
In hindsight "Silk Stockings" proved to be one of MGM's last great musical acheivements and Fred Astaire's final appearance in a musical worthy of his inimitable talents. Astaire plays, Steven Canfield, a rotten capitalist and movie producer who butts heads with communist, special envoy, Nina Yoshenko, who has been sent from Moscow to Paris to apprehend a wayward Russian composer. The cast also includes Janis Paige in a hilarious and campy lampoon of an 'Esther Williams-type' actress attempting to play Napoleon's Josephine in a musical remake of "War and Peace". Peter Lorre and Jules Munshin are at their comedy best as two communist sympathizers wooed by the pleasures of Paris.
AT LAST - a transfer worthy of the elegant Mr. Cole Porter. Warner Home Video gives us a rich looking, robust sounding DVD that really celebrates the performances in this memorable musical. Colors are deep, rich, gorgeous and consistant throughout. Contrast and shadow levels are outstanding. Fine details are amazingly sharp. Edge enhancement, shimmering and aliasing are practically non-existant. There is no pixelization or film or digital grain to speak of, for a thoroughly smooth but sharp visual presentation that will surely please. The audio has been remixed to 5.1 and is marvelous, rich sounding and fully realized within the confines of its dated characteristic.
Extras: Another Cole Porter/making-of featurette that is really a throw away, save the few glimpses of Cyd Charisse and Janis Paige that we get. Theatrical trailer and cast bios and a couple of short subjects - not anamorphically enhanced, even though the film (thank heaven) is!
Bottom Line: This disc is a must have and the only DVD of the Cole Porter bunch worthy of your hard earned money. BUY IT TODAY!

Unersappreciated
Yes, this is one of the last of the MGM musicals. Tis a pity. Now that CHICAGO is such a hit, they must release other MGM musicals just as good as this. THE BAND WAGON...THREE LITTLE WORDS...EASTER PARADE and SUMMER STOCK, just to name a few. SILK STOCKINGS is a remarkablly good film for it's genre. Nothing could beat CYD and FRED dancing, even if the plot isn't strong. Too bad there wasn't more of JANIS PAGE as one of her numbers seems to have been given the short shift. Otherwise, the film is a standout and a must for musical lovers. Any left? I think so. Give this one a try as well as the other Cole Porter releases. Thanks for these, but we want more!!!

"I Like the Looks of You..."
I love this movie. It is absolutely hilarious. Though I know the tradgedy and horror that existed in Communist Russia, this film still made me burst out laughing. The songs are beautiful and alluring. However, the dancing steals the show. Cyd and Fred look swell together. Fred and Janice Paige's number about modern films is hilarious. I also like "We Can't Go Back to Moscow." I find myself singing it every day.
The plot is relatively good and has a cute love story. As always, love conquers all, even the iron curtain.

Great Film - Poor Quality Master!
Received this great musical on DVD the other day to enhance my collection and was disappointed to find the picture quality substantially inferior to my identical television recording and only a slight improvement upon an old video tape of the same film. Digital enhancement would appear to be needed in this particular case. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Queen of Chaos-Comedy Strikes Again!
Doris Day in another "sit-com" material comedy smash. "Please Don't Eat The Daisies" is the fluffy story of a much feared theatre critic (played by "Mr. Debonaire" David Niven) and his over-the-top household of excitement. Among his daily troubles are antics by his wife (Day), their four ill-mannered sons, a St. Bernard dog (why not a poodle or a beagle?), as well as their servants and actors whom he had given horrible reviews. -- The plot runs at a fast pace, with a few Doris Day tunes for the flavor (including the title song and the somewhat over-done "Que Sera Sera"). -- Despite the typical minor flaws most comedies happen to have, I find this film very entertaining and can recommend it especially as a choice for family viewing.

domestic comedy at it's funniest
Doris Day and David Niven make for an unforgettable screen team in the MGM/Euterpe production of PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES.

Larry and Kate McKay (Niven and Day) are the "proud" parents of four unruly sons and a nervous wreck of a sheepdog!

As Larry becomes a theatre critic (the most feared one), he comes under scrutiny from an old friend (Richard Haydn) and the advances of a volumptuous Broadway star whom he had critically crushed (Janis Paige).

Among the goings on, Day has enough time to sing a few tunes, including the Title Song, "Que Sera, Sera" and "Any Way The Wind Blows".

A funny and frisky family comedy.

Awful
Hideous film. The whole film is about poor Doris Day and her "challenges". What challenges? This film was not at all funny or engaging. Rent/buy it only if you're a Doris Day or (yawn!) David Niven fan. Fans of the great comic actress Patsy Kelly beware - she only has a small part and that role is wasted. What a shame, perhaps had Patsy Kelly been better utilized, this would have been a funny movie.

A family of six move to the country.
Doris Day is the mother of four rambunctous children (Charles Herbert, Stanley Livingston and Flip Mark). Her husband (David Niven) is a playwriter who has been hired by a newspaper as a play critic. Not everyone likes him now, but now that he is getting publicity he prefers to stay in the city. Doris Day's dream is to buy a house in the country. That is what they have been planning. They finally buy a big house in the country, but adjusting to country life is different for everyone. Kathryn Card ("I Love Lucy") has a small role. Doris sings "Que Sara Sara" which she first sang in "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956). The song was later used in the tv series The Doris Day Show. Please Don't Eat The Daisies became a tv series (1965-67) starring Pat Crowley and Mark Miller with Kim Tyler, Brian Nash, Jason Fithian and Jeff Fithian. Ellen Corby played the maid.

One of the Best Doris Comedies of all time.
This movie was made in the era of Beenie Boppers and Rock Hudson . This movie was a breath of fresh air after all of the other movies that were going on like Bikini Beach, Pajama Party and all of that stuff. This film starred Hollywood Classics. Doris Day & David Niven. This is about a family that lives in New York. The Mackay Family. Well they have 4 little boys that are considered the monsters. Lawrence MacKay (David Niven) is an aspiring PlayWright that was just put in charge as cheif columnist on Movie Review in their local Newspaper. Well Mrs. MacKay (Doris Day) is trying to keep her family together but it is kind of hard when you have 4 little boys that favorite activity is throwing paper bags filled with water out of the window hitting the paserbies on the sidewalk that goes past the apartment building that they live in. Well Mrs. Macakay finally convinces Lawrence that they need to movie out to the country. Well they do but Mr. Mackay has the urge to move out of the country. But Doris won't let him so he stays in a ritzy hotel in New York City close to his office during the week then he comes home on the weekend. Well he meets The beautiful and Seductive Miss Deborah Vaughn (Janis Page) whot tries to get him to movie in with her and have an affair. Well Doris saves the day and the movie ends happily ever after.

This movie features the following hit Doris Day Songs.

Don't Eat The Daisies
Anyway The Wind Blows
Kay Sara Sara

Great Movie. Makes a great movie for those nights. When you and your family are huddled around the Television. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Esther Williams and Red Skelton star in this endearingly silly tale of two star-crossed lovers whose eventual reunion is not for a moment in doubt. Swimming teacher Caroline Brooks (Williams) and songwriter Steve Elliott (Skelton) are engaged and crazy in love. All seems well until Basil Rathbone (!) shows up as a ruthless producer, determined to break them up and keep Steve's songwriting genius for himself. When a wounded Caroline retreats to her women's college, Steve finds the only way to pursue her is to enroll as a student, and the wackiness begins! Bathing Beauty is also jam-packed with music, featuring the talents of Xavier Cugat and his orchestra and Harry James and his orchestra. There's also a stunning number in which the housemother jams on the electric organ for her girls, who shout things like "Now let's really get hot!" and, just when you think it can't possibly get any better, "Let's go below the border for some South American jive!" One can't help but hope those two crazy kids get back together. And do you think the producer will be able to find someone to star in his water pageant? --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Very good, well worth seeing.
"Bathing Beauty," is a great movie with esther willams and red Skelton. It's a delightful comedy as well as drama, and has some lovely songs and music in it.

"Bathing Beauty" Indeed!
Has there ever been a more beautiful aquatic sight than Esther Williams? In 1944, MGM starred Esther in BATHING BEAUTY, a comedy-musical-aquacade that marked her first leading role (she had played featured roles in two previous films). Esther's beauty and swimming talents made such a striking impression on audiences that she was launched on a ten-year career as a star of lavish Technicolor musicals. These movies were often among the top moneymaking films of the year.

BATHING BEAUTY tells a simple, and silly, story: a college swimming instructor (Williams) has a whirlwind romance with a songwriter (played by top comedian Red Skelton). But a misunderstanding causes her to walk out on their marriage. He follows and enrolls as a student at the women's college where she teaches until they can patch things up.

Much of the footage in BATHING BEUATY is devoted to Skelton's broad comedy antics, and he has some hilarious routines here. One extended sequence shows his participation--complete with pink tutu--in a college eurythmics course. He also leads a lengthy musical number, "I'll Take the High Note," that is a big-band variation on the Scottish folk tune "Loch Lommond"--and that grows funnier and funnier the more it's drawn out.

As with many of the MGM musicals produced by Jack Cummings, there are also musical performances by top bands of the day. Harry James leads his musicians in three numbers, including a wonderful performance of the standard "I Cried for You," with a vocal by Helen Forrest. And Xavier Cugat's orchestra is also on hand (1944 was the height of the U.S.'s "Good Neighbor" policy toward Latin America, after all!). Cugat's vocalist, the piquant and sexy Lina Romay, plays a major role in these numbers, especially in a lavishly staged song-and dance sequence referred to as "that Venezuelan number," whose title is unknown to this reviewer.

Since this was Esther's first starring role, her footage is comparatively brief, and her acting is not as polished as in later films. (Williams herself later laughed at the "eye-popping" acting mannerism she employed here but that vanished by her next performance.) However, as always, she wears her dazzling wardrobe extremely well. And her Olympic-caliber swimming abilities are on excellent display in the film's finale, a huge aquacade number set to the music of Johann Strauss that was staged by famed Broadway director John Murray Anderson.

One disappointment about the print of the film available on this video is that the color is quite faded and hardly gives an accurate impression of the richness of Technicolor photography. The only exception is during the finale, when the images and the color become quite sharp and dazzling. Perhaps this photographic difference was noticeable even in the film's original release; it is possible the final aquacade was photographed by a different cameraman than the rest of the film.

For fans of Esther Williams--and for anyone in the mood for a nostalgic wallow in 1940s movie magic--there is much to enjoy in BATHING BEAUTY.

A fun movies with a classic soundtrack!
This period movie from the 40's features a young Esther Williams, Red Skelton and some terrific big band music. The story and much of the acting is not memorable, however there are moments of real entertainment. Red Skelton is a comedy treasure. Foot-tapping songs like Tico-Tico and Harry James solos are a bonus. This was the film that started it all for the [now] classic Ester Williams aquatic dance sequences. For those looking for movies to watch with kids and family, Bathing Beaty offers wide appeal; no language or violence or sexual content. This is a fun way to spend several hours.

"A Piece of Junk"
... that was how star Basil Rathbone described this turkey to a friend at the time. Having signed a contract with MGM for economic security during the war, Basil found himself loaned out to Universal at a hefty fee (which he never saw) for the Sherlock Holmes films, while his "home" studio threw him into nothing roles in crap like this. Esther Williams made her film debut in Bathing Beauty, and somehow it made her a star... today she'd be lucky to make it beyond ESPN. Red Skelton is, as usual, quite unbearable. Then there's Xavier Cugat. The only virtue of the film is some Technicolor location footage of L.A. in the forties. It's very small consolation indeed.

Really funny!
My father and I have had a blast watching this movie over and over again! Red Skelton is hilarious, and adorable! We're looking forward to buying this video, and others! ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Queen of Chaos-Comedy Strikes Again!
Doris Day in another "sit-com" material comedy smash. "Please Don't Eat The Daisies" is the fluffy story of a much feared theatre critic (played by "Mr. Debonaire" David Niven) and his over-the-top household of excitement. Among his daily troubles are antics by his wife (Day), their four ill-mannered sons, a St. Bernard dog (why not a poodle or a beagle?), as well as their servants and actors whom he had given horrible reviews. -- The plot runs at a fast pace, with a few Doris Day tunes for the flavor (including the title song and the somewhat over-done "Que Sera Sera"). -- Despite the typical minor flaws most comedies happen to have, I find this film very entertaining and can recommend it especially as a choice for family viewing.

domestic comedy at it's funniest
Doris Day and David Niven make for an unforgettable screen team in the MGM/Euterpe production of PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES.

Larry and Kate McKay (Niven and Day) are the "proud" parents of four unruly sons and a nervous wreck of a sheepdog!

As Larry becomes a theatre critic (the most feared one), he comes under scrutiny from an old friend (Richard Haydn) and the advances of a volumptuous Broadway star whom he had critically crushed (Janis Paige).

Among the goings on, Day has enough time to sing a few tunes, including the Title Song, "Que Sera, Sera" and "Any Way The Wind Blows".

A funny and frisky family comedy.

Awful
Hideous film. The whole film is about poor Doris Day and her "challenges". What challenges? This film was not at all funny or engaging. Rent/buy it only if you're a Doris Day or (yawn!) David Niven fan. Fans of the great comic actress Patsy Kelly beware - she only has a small part and that role is wasted. What a shame, perhaps had Patsy Kelly been better utilized, this would have been a funny movie.

A family of six move to the country.
Doris Day is the mother of four rambunctous children (Charles Herbert, Stanley Livingston and Flip Mark). Her husband (David Niven) is a playwriter who has been hired by a newspaper as a play critic. Not everyone likes him now, but now that he is getting publicity he prefers to stay in the city. Doris Day's dream is to buy a house in the country. That is what they have been planning. They finally buy a big house in the country, but adjusting to country life is different for everyone. Kathryn Card ("I Love Lucy") has a small role. Doris sings "Que Sara Sara" which she first sang in "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956). The song was later used in the tv series The Doris Day Show. Please Don't Eat The Daisies became a tv series (1965-67) starring Pat Crowley and Mark Miller with Kim Tyler, Brian Nash, Jason Fithian and Jeff Fithian. Ellen Corby played the maid.

One of the Best Doris Comedies of all time.
This movie was made in the era of Beenie Boppers and Rock Hudson . This movie was a breath of fresh air after all of the other movies that were going on like Bikini Beach, Pajama Party and all of that stuff. This film starred Hollywood Classics. Doris Day & David Niven. This is about a family that lives in New York. The Mackay Family. Well they have 4 little boys that are considered the monsters. Lawrence MacKay (David Niven) is an aspiring PlayWright that was just put in charge as cheif columnist on Movie Review in their local Newspaper. Well Mrs. MacKay (Doris Day) is trying to keep her family together but it is kind of hard when you have 4 little boys that favorite activity is throwing paper bags filled with water out of the window hitting the paserbies on the sidewalk that goes past the apartment building that they live in. Well Mrs. Macakay finally convinces Lawrence that they need to movie out to the country. Well they do but Mr. Mackay has the urge to move out of the country. But Doris won't let him so he stays in a ritzy hotel in New York City close to his office during the week then he comes home on the weekend. Well he meets The beautiful and Seductive Miss Deborah Vaughn (Janis Page) whot tries to get him to movie in with her and have an affair. Well Doris saves the day and the movie ends happily ever after.

This movie features the following hit Doris Day Songs.

Don't Eat The Daisies
Anyway The Wind Blows
Kay Sara Sara

Great Movie. Makes a great movie for those nights. When you and your family are huddled around the Television. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Difficult to watch portrayal of mental illness
The one reason to get this movie is to get an idea of the timely sociology of mental illness. The overall movie is a disappointment. Most of the glimpses into mental illness are a bit antiquated and not at all convincing. Lorna (Polly Bergen) is at times hystrionic in a way that is just ineffectual to the viewer, there's only so much madness that one can take in this type of movie, which in the end actually kind of turns out to be a propaganda-driven view of psychiatry. If you are watching it for Joan Crawford's sake, then you'll be pleased with the Judo scene of course and the various "don't [mess] with me fellas" moments, but all in all, it's not a great classic, and worth watching mostly for the sociological implications behind the film itself.

Flawed, but with a fabulous cast it is worth a look!
I won't say that "The Caretakers" is the greatest film ever made, but it is certainly not the worst. "The Caretakers" is the story of the struggle between a progressive doctor (Robert Stack), who wants to create a "day hospital" for "borderline" patients, and the old regime headed by Nurse Lucretia (Joan Crawford) and her team of nurses (including the terrific Constance Ford). All of the actresses who portray borderline patients are fabulous. Polly Bergen is Lorna, the woman tormented by the death of her son. Janis Paige plays Marion, the stubborn, hard tempered patient who encourages mischief among the others. Barbara Barrie is the mute patient who nearly burns the clinic down. Particularly good is Sharon Hugueny, who plays Connie, the sweet, lonely girl who, in a particularly poignant scene, pretends to read a letter from her mother, filled with lines about how much her family loves and misses her, only for the letter to be brutally exposed as a fake by Marion. Diane McBain and Susan Oliver are good as borderline nurses. There are many good scenes in "The Caretakers", but the overall film seems campy (the music seems better suited to "Batman" than a film about mental illness) and a bit anti-climactic, but still I recommend watching it to see the great performances given by Crawford, Ford, Paige, Barrie, and Hugueny!

Great Cast, Great Movie
I was intrigued by this movie long before I ever saw it. I had read many reviews of it (unfortunately, many disparaging ones), which whetted my appetite, and because I am a die-hard Joan Crawford fan, I eventually ordered it. I thought, "How bad can it be?" Well, I'll say this right off. It isn't as bad as everyone seems to think. In fact, it's really quite good. It is true that Joan Crawford's role (as a tough, conservative head nurse at the psychiatric hospital in which the film is set) is small, but her strong presence is still remarkable. Everyone is very good, including leads Robert Stack (as a progressive-minded doctor at odds with Crawford) and Polly Bergen, as the patient through whose eyes the story unfolds. Excellent, also, is Janis Paige as a loud-mouthed nymphomaniac in the ward. The direction is good and the theme (progressive care for mental patients vs. strait-jackets and shock treatments), manages to triumph in the end despite a few admitted cliches in the story. The moody, atmospheric photography and evocative score by Elmer Bernstein do their parts in making this a film worth seeing, especially if you like to watch good acting and have a general interest in psychology, as I do.

Mental illness portrayed for shock value
Like "The Snake Pit" more than a decade earlier, "The Caretakers" takes little care in attempting to present a responsible view of mental illness. As the patient, Polly Bergen overacts hysterically in what seems to be a desperate bid for an Oscar nomination (sorry, Polly, it didn't work), while grim-faced doctor Robert Stack swaggers about as if he were still playing Eliot Ness. The cinematography is excellent but all those dark, shadow filled corridors are more appropriate for a horror film. Then again, that's what this film is: a horror film that portrays a serious medical condition for nothing more than shock value. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A DAVIS CURIO.
Based upon a novel by Ethel Vance, this movie has long been hailed as a "turkey" and the "talkiest piece of 1948". WINTER MEETING however, if anything, confirmed Davis as the best actress of her time. In her imperious moments, she is mannered, but in her quieter moments, there is no one as relaxed or able to suggest a "thinking woman". She plays a spinster publisher involved with a naval hero (Jim Davis, later known as Jock Ewing on TV's DALLAS), a relationship likely to be futile, since he wants to become a priest. This actor's lumbering integrity is quite convincing, but at the time, he shared in the opprobrium cast upon the film by reviewers, possibly bewildered by a SUGGESTION of depth and an almost complete lack of melodrama. The ending is trite, but under Bretaigne Windust's (what a name!) direction, the film is sharp on certain strata of New York society, and Catherine Turney's dialogue, if anything, avoids cliches. In other words, it's a rather implausible and mediocre curiousity for those in the mood to listen to some very classy (albeit very twenties - almost Noel Cowardish) dialogue eloquently spoken by La Davis.

SO SO FILM...GREAT CAST
This is a largely mediocre film with a story that is somewhat implausible. Bette Davis stars as Susan Grieve, a well to do poetess living in a very plush townhouse in New York City. She dresses divinely in black for all her social engagements and is articulate and low key in demeanor. She is a single woman in an era when such were called spinsters. She leads a well ordered life devoid of any romantic interests.

Enter a romantic war hero with the improbable name of Slick Novak, played by the boyishly good looking and earnest James Davis. It seems that our hero is invited out to dinner by an upper crust friend of Ms. Grieve named Stacey, wonderfully played by the urbane John Hoyt. Stacey also invites Ms. Grieve, as well as his secretary, played by the lusciously lovely Janis Paige. Stacey believes that Slick will fall for his secretary, when to his and everyone's surprise, Slick falls for the prim and proper Susan.

Susan awakens under the tender and romantic ministrations of Slick and finds herself falling in love. She is brought up short, however, when he discloses that he always wanted to be a priest and appears to be in some personal turmoil over it. Shortly after his disclosure, he suddenly pulls the rug out from under Susan. What follows is somewhat difficult to fathom and the movie, which had started out promisingly, begins to collapse. The only thing that saves the film are the wonderful performances by the cast.

Ms. Davis gives a memorable performance as a woman who comes out of her shell and becomes more three dimensional. James Davis is credible as an angst ridden war hero who falls in love with the reluctant Susan, who, as the viewer discovers, has her own secret, inner turmoil. John Hoyt is delightful as Susan's well to do, dapper and socially prominent confidant and friend. Janis Paige, as a young working woman on the make, succeeds in her role. Unfortunately, the screen play misses its mark and, what could have been a great movie, is merely mediocre, worthy only for the notable performances given by the cast. The performance by Ms. Davis, in particular, makes the film worth watching, despite the somewhat plodding script.

Classic Bette Davis at her Classiest
I hadn't seen this movie in years since it used to play on Tv quite often. When the NY Times would give their one-line reviews in the TV listings they'd describe it as "talk, talk, talk..." Indeed it is a chatty film, if not slightly slow and a bit plodding. And the story is highly unfathomable.

Basically Bette plays a very soigne spinster living in an extremely stylish Manhattan brownstone beautifully furnished with family heirlooms. She's a poetess and works part-time in a publishing house, just to pass the time between stylish dinners in which she's dressed in severe black sequined evening clothes that scream softly with high style. Her famous Davis diction is the best ever, with perfect WASP yankee stage speech coating every word. Some of the dialogue is fabulous.

This repressed but awfully stylish spinster falls for a gorgeous hunk of a war hero who in the middle of their romance reveals that he's always wanted to be a priest! This scene allows Davis to deliver what must be a classic of a sexually repressed female who's suddenly been awakened to fall back into the lonely snakepit of her life.The look on her face and the clenching of her hands is high melodrama that would make Joan Crawford look like Betty Boop. It's not a great film by any means; but for Davis fans it's a forgotten vehicle that should be seen. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

you said it jpalms from north carolina!!! DVD PLEASE!!!!
It is such a funny classic in my opinion! I am a big fan of Bob Hope and had never heard of the film, but I was able to finally catch it one time on tv as per my mother's recommendation and I am so lucky to have seen it. I was disappointed to find that this movie does not exist in dvd format. PLEASE PLEASE!!! It deserves a place in the Bob Hope dvd movie collection.

PLEASE PUT THIS MOVIE ON DVD DVD DVD!!!!!!
I first saw this movie in the theatre when I was very young and loved it. After all these years I still love it and wish the studio would produce this on DVD. Especially, since Bob Hope just turned 100. What a classic comedy that shows what suburbia was like in the 50s and 60s with Bob's take on everyday household encounters. The leading lady of Lana Turner is also a plus for this movie. Again Please Take This Hint......DVD, DVD, DVD.

Bob Hope at His Timeless Best!
If you love to laugh...if you love TIMELESS comedy...THIS is a MUST HAVE!This is the best entertainer the world has ever seen...at least in popularity and comedy. It does not matter how many times I see this movie...I love it, and want to see it again and again. Never tire of it. It hearkens back to simpler, better times in America, stress free, when the only problems were the mysterious single guy down the street who unbeknownst to the neighbors...is a swinging sex expert novelist...living anonymously among them to do further research. Tim Hutton and other stars add their ingredients to a top notch classic sixties comedy in the realm of Doris Day, James Garner, Carey Grant.

Settling into suburbia without a clue of how to manage a household, this master of comedy shows everyone how funny everyday life can be. BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT!

Still Funny!
Even though this movie is a little dated, it's still really funny. I always liked this movie when it was on TV in the past, but I wasn't sure if I would still like it due to not seeing it for so long. I ended up loving this movie. Bob Hope's one liners & facial expressions are priceless. Bob plays a writer that must do research on the lives of couples living in the suburbs for a book in order to get money to pay off the IRS. Overall, it's a fun filled movie that's great to watch over & over again!

60s Suburban Goofiness? I'm the one in Paradise!
I'm probably the last person in the world the makers of Bachelor In Paradise had in mind when they crafted this little piece of cinematic cuteness. I'm not a Bob Hope fan, and I'm not too keen on romantic comedies, either. In fact, I'm still not exactly sure what inspired me to watch the movie in the first place. Regardless, I LOVED Bachelor In Paradise.

This flick is hopelessly predictable, and yet I fell hopelessly in love with the goofy tale of writer A.J. Niles plunked into the Paradise Hills community to observe the quirky rites and rituals of its Atomic Age inhabitants. I think the movie's greatest appeal these days rests in its affectionate and humorous portrait of suburban America in the early 60s; from the houses painted "California Choral" to the way-cool drive-in restaurants and bowling alleys, this is the suburban America of Ed Wood minus the satire. I loved it.
But even if you're not a fan of postwar-era suburbia, there's plenty to like about the movie. Hope's lines are actually quite funny, the chemistry between he and Lana Turner is palpable, and the off-the-wall chaos that results from Hope's counseling of the bored women of Paradise Hills is a complete hoot.

All hail director Jack Arnold, master of mid-century pop culture fun. Now somebody put this puppy out on DVD! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

natural causes
perhaps the best conspiracy film ever made! taught, tightly woven, riveting! even better than the manchurian candidate, and seven days in may! a real sleeper! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

natural causes
perhaps the best conspiracy film ever made! taught, tightly woven, riveting! even better than the manchurian candidate, and seven days in may! a real sleeper! ... Read more