Description

Academy Award-nominated biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt from the time he was stricken with polio to his presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention.Starring Ralph Bellamy, Greer Garson and Hume Cronyn. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

ONE DETERMINED INDIVIDUAL
Having read several biographies of FDR, I reached the conclusion that he was a very extraordinary individual. This story, however, regarding his paralysis, shows us what a truly great man he was. The fact that he was very wealthy and could have easily faded away into obscurity living a life of ease and comfort is another example of his greatness. Everyone who was both a principal actor did a magnificent job of portraying characters who were then a part of the recent past and did so with genuine respect. I recommend this movie to anyone whose interest in Mr. Roosevelt is like mine....passionate!

Wonderful Docudrama!
This movie is one of the best ever. Franklin Delano Roosevelt got infantile paralysis (called poliomyelitis, or polio) while vacationing at his family's summer home at Campobello, in August 1921. Although totally paralyzed by polio, FDR gains back the use of his arms. To the outside world, he appeared almost able bodied when in reality he was unable to walk unassisted: either with his crutches (and braces) or on the arm of someone (usually one of his sons). He mastered the art of appearing robust and healthy. Though unsure that he could deliver the 1924 nominating speech standing up, FDR assures Governor Smith: "You certainly can't make an effective speech sitting down."

The movie gives a glimpse into FDR's life as he deals with the truth of his disability. He faced many challenges, defeat, and ultimately despair as he tried in vain to strengthen his flail legs as he had his arms. FDR was lucky to have the support he needed to get on with his life. The press also respected his privacy to a greater degree than is possible today.

The movie, which I believe was filmed at Hyde Park in NY, shows ramps that FDR needed in order to get around in his wheelchair. You also see FDR's challenge to master his heavy metal braces which were admittedly hard to fit and often uncomfortable. And, you see the pride FDR felt after learning how to pull himself upstairs by upper body strength and sheer determination. Even though his mother was not at all as impressed with his "accomplishment."

It is a story of challenge, defeat, and even despair leading ultimately to victory and confidence. It is a very good look into the life of a great and respected world leader who went on to be elected president for four terms.

Great family viewing! ... Read more

Reviews (166)

Out of this world!
"Plan 9 From Outer Space" has been dubbed the worst film ever made. I can't disagree with that. Here are just a few of the things that qualifies it for that title.

- When the police drives from the town to the cemetary time somehow switches from night to day back to night.

- The Swedish accent of wrestler Tor Johnson, playing a police officer / walking corpse.

- The six feet tall, blonde chiropractor that replaced deceased Bela Lugosi.

- The plates-glued-together UFO's with strings completely visible.

- The cardboard tombstones that wiggle.

- The cemetery ground, obviously a piece of fabric covered with leaves.

- The plot, or rather lack thereof.

- The dialogue, hilariosly funny only because it's meant to be serious.

- The actors. Nuff said.

Still, it's also one of the best films ever made. Ed Wood Jr. was a filmmaker with a passion. He wanted to make films, so he made films. You can't help but respect that. That's why this movie deserves five stars, and "Deathstalker III: Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell" deserves none.

Future events such as these...
Uttery obscure until the Medved brothers' 'Golden Turkey Awards' highlighted it as the 'Worst Film Ever Made', this is not so much a 'bad' film as a hysterically incompetent one. Consistently failing to triumph over the lack of money, resources and technique available, it quite neatly shows how films should not be judged in terms of 'bad' or 'good', but in terms of 'entertaining' or 'not entertaining'. Whilst 'Plan Nine' is clearly the work of bungling, but enthusiastic incompetents, it's hugely entertaining in a way that the professionally-done 'Speed 2: Cruise Control' is not. Only 'Robot Monster' comes close the the tone of insane incoherence. Where else can you see such a diverse, iconic cast (featuring the recently-deceased Bela Lugosi, a late-night-television horror movie hostess, a wrestler, and a minor celebrity hypnotist) deliver dialogue such as 'Inspector Clay's dead, murdered, and somebody's responsible'?

Note that there are two DVD releases - this one has a lengthy (longer than the film, in fact) documentary, whilst the other has a plug for Tim Burton's equally-good 'Ed Wood'. This one is slightly more expensive, but worth getting, as the documentary is excellent. Commenting on picture and sound quality seems somehow inappropriate, really.

Well it ain't the worst
In fact besides I'd go as far as to say this is perhaps the most competent Ed Wood movie around. Sure there are glaring errors such as Bela running back and forth to the grave in broad daylight ( when it's supposed to be night-time ) and his replacement is obvious ( come on, he's at least 4 inches taller I reckon ). And indeed the last 20 minutes descended into a farce that unfortunately sunk the film. Yes, it shows a degree of ineptitude on Ed's part but for most of the film there was an almost professional air to how the actors acted.

Ed thought that he'll be remembered for this film. This was his big one and he's right, it's the one we remember him most for. However I don't think he would have liked the tag it's been given but if you want to be remembered he certainly went about the right way in doing it ( even if the results were all wrong )

But if we start at the start with Bela's last real scene where he mourns his lover's death - that was a really touching scene. The emotion in that looks too real that it can't be described as fake or cardboard cut out. If anything that was the most poignant scene Ed ever captured on film. He may have been an inept film-maker but that was a stroke of genius - no kidding!

I get the feeling Ed cast Vampira as Lugosi's wife mainly because if you've seen the Tim Burton movie you'll know that Lugosi thought she was " a honey " and it was certainly a nice gesture to Bela to do that. Vampira doesn't have to do much in this film. Just walk really slowly and look ominous whenever the camera is on her. Looks beautiful while doing so I have to admit. I'm almost certain that she inspired George Romero to make Night of The Living Dead by her walking alone.

Criswell makes his appearance in this film and you have to say, him, along with Vampira and Tor, got almost uncanny lookalikes in Tim Burton's biopic that it seems almost spooky.

Hats off to whoever had the idea of using saucer lids for um the use of flying saucers. Really neat and easily identified even if it was black and white. Still not too bad a job. Oh and who could forget Saturn as a ballbearing - Top Class!

The last 20 minutes are a farce as I've said before mainly because it's supposed to be a showdown between the humans and the aliens....or to be more precise 3 men with guns and a man and a woman in funny clothing that are supposed to be aliens. The acting here is horrifically poor and despite it all being passionately acted it just seems.....well a bit silly. And whatever niggling doubts you had about the film leading up to the last 20 minutes, will no doubt be exposed by the end. A shame because the film showed Ed at his most coherent. And that sadly was the pinnacle of Ed's career.

So all in all it's not the worst movie of all time and certainly not the worst you'll ever see ( unless you're a connoisseur of good taste and in that case what the hell are you reading this for ). Definitely his most enjoyable film. Now if someone could only just tell Criswell to shut up ( I wish Ed had tried, honestly try to do that ).

But for Ed, this would be his shot at greatness and while it backfired, it was about as good as he could make it. Perhaps if he were making these now and not 40 years ago he might have gotten away with it. And I'm sure Ben Affleck would have been great as the dumb pilot if it were made now. Think about it

Here's to Ed though - he may not have been the greatest but he sure knew how to entertain us

Bela Lugosi Lives! (Just not in this film)
How does one describe a movie such as this? Like "Robot Monster," it is a masterpiece, and like "Robot Monster," this is not because "Plan 9 From Outer Space" has even a shadow of an ounce of quality to it. Rather, this is an example of just how wrong everything in any creative project can go if it is in the hands of the right angora-wearing genius.

For nothing (and I mean NOTHING) came out right in this movie. Continuity? Hah! Realistic dialogue? Pish! Convincing acting? Gah! Remotely realistic special effects? Heaven forbid! No, what Ed Wood gave us with "Plan 9" is quite simply a cinematic failure that not even Orson Wells could have duplicated if he had tried. In what other movie is one of your stars dead even before the script is written or shooting begins?

No, "Plan 9" is unique, a thing that we mere mortals can only begin to try and understand. Instead we can only watch, transfixed and trembling in awe that Wood's vision was transmitted so perfectly to the silver screen. This is a movie that well deserves to be ranked among the immortal creations of motion picture history, despite or perhaps because of the fact that it completely lacks any of the features that would normally merit such an inclusion.

To think otherwise can only be the result of stupid minds. Stupid! Your stupid, stupid minds!

"You see. You see. Your stupid minds. Stupid. Stupid."
Also known as "Grave Robbers From Outer Space", Edward D. Wood's masterpiece of horrific filmmaking has been called the "worst movie ever made" by more than a few critics and movie fans. This hasn't kept this unintentially hilarious sci-fi dud from becoming a massive cult classic. And rightfully so. Ed Wood's art for making movies so bad that they're actually good has never been more apparent than it is here.

"Plan 9" revolves around a couple of space invaders in bad suits who fly around in spaceships on strings and resurrect the recently dead to haunt the inhabits of a small town where it seems to go back and forth from night to day a lot. The humans aren't having it though as a joint team of the local police, military, and an overacting airline pilot refuse to be terrorized by the undead creatures (who can't decide whether they're ghouls or vampires). But these visitors from a badly-drawn planet resembling Saturn have their own intentions. They're hear to warn us of a new solar-powered weapon that the Earth will eventually create and wipe out the universe. But our heroes aren't going down without a fight. They've got enough army movie stock footage to send them aliens back where they came from.

What makes "Plan 9" so entertainingly terrible? Where do I start? There's the overly-descriptive narration of Criswell who practically gives play-by-play for every action in the film. You've got Bela Lugosi who appears courtesy of silent footage recorded before his death and with the help of a stand-in who looks nothing like him. And who could forget those cooky cops who don't allow the discovery of their Captain's horrifying death to damper their moods any? Also there's Duke Moore's hards-as-nails detective who fearlessly uses his gun to fix his hat when necessary.From the bargain basement graveyard chalk full of cardboard headstones to the hungry young overactors spitting out silly dialouge, "Plan 9" is truly the "Citizen Kane of bad movies".

For those looking to pick this gem up on DVD, the Image edition is the only way to go. Not only is the picture the best that it's ever looked but it comes with a feature-length documentary, "Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The Plan 9 Companion" and the trailer for the movie. Avoid the Passport version which has a company logo imprinted in the bottom corner similiar to the ones that TV networks use. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Delightfully Cute
Jimmy Stewart & Barbara Hale keeps the plot moving. I really enjoyed watching it. Natalie Wood was kind of "dorky", but her little brother "Tommy" was a better actor. The overall movie is "delightfully cute". Barbara Hale shows her "versatility" for acting.

Radio game show winnings turn life upside-down.
One of Jimmy Stewart's most overlooked films. This picture is pure 1950's. Stewart is an overworked family man, (Similar to his role in Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation, but The Jackpot is a much better picture.) who wins a radio game show. Prizes range from the useful to the absurd. Everything is fine until he finds out he's got to pay taxes on all of his loot. Probably as much pure fun as any Jimmy Stewart picture. ... Read more

Description

Criminal genius Lex Luthor has Metropolis at his mercy. Can he crush Superman with his fiendish inventions? Find out as this live-action, 15 chapter serial whisks you breathlessly along. Kirk Alyn stars. Year: 1950 Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet Starring:Kirk Alyn, Tommy Bond, Noel Neill ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Super Exciting
Okay, with the Superman movies and Smallville this seems a little cheesy. The special effects are a little cheesy, Kirk Alyn is a little cheesy Superman with a goofy smile, but a pretty good Clark Kent. Then why did I give this five stars, because it is very entertaining. The 40's Superman is not the one I know, but good story telling and cliff hangers make this worth wild. Second all, this may be the best incarnation (at least pre-crisis) Lex Luthor ever one on screen. A great buy!

A serial sequel that's better than the first
ATOM MAN VS. SUPERMAN (1950), the second of two 15-chapter Superman serials, is far superior to its predecessor, SUPERMAN (1948). For one thing, it drops the ridiculous Spider Lady idea and gives Superman a formidable comic book-style villain in his familiar archnemesis, Lex Luthor (well-played by Lyle Talbot). Luthor keeps Superman and the Daily Planet constantly on their toes, coming up with inventive new threats in every episode. If it isn't a "directional cyclotron" causing earthquakes in one, it's an atomic missile headed for Metropolis in another. And Superman gets to do a lot more Superman-like feats of derring-do in this serial. In an ingenious touch, the makers incorporate all sorts of actual disaster footage into the action--flood, fire, earthquake, bridge collapse--and have Superman plunge in to rescue victims.

As in the previous serial, the super effects are created using cartoon animation, so whenever Superman takes off to fly he becomes a cartoon figure. This animation is used more imaginatively and in a wider set of actions than in the first one. In one spectacular moment, an animated Superman picks up a live-action miniature truck from a raging flood. And there's one jaw-dropping sequence in outer space that relies on animation.

The same actors return to play Superman/Clark Kent (Kirk Alyn), Lois Lane (Noel Neill), Jimmy Olsen (Tommy Bond) and Perry White (Pierre Watkin). Unlike the first serial, the spunky Lois gets some costume changes this time around. She also goes to work at a Metropolis TV station at one point, serving as on-camera talent doing man-on-the-street interviews in the early days of the medium! Overall, it's so filled with clever and imaginative touches that it ranks not only as one of the finest serials this reviewer's ever seen, but as one of the best examples of filmed Superman ever.

ATOM MAN VS. SUPERMAN
A good action serial with the KING of super heroes, SUPERMAN! The second of two Superman serials with KIRK ALYN as Supes, wearing a costume reminiscent of the later TV George Reeves'. The title being that of the RADIO show's story that in many ways is better than this serial or ANY screen work of Superman. The Atom Man in the RADIO story was a kryptonite powered Nazi who could create kryptonite lightning from his hand, nearly killing Superman several times. In THIS SERIAL, he's LEX LUTHOR who has a teleportation machine, that smacks of STAR TREK in a way, YEARS BEFORE Trek was thought of! NOT that people ' glitter ' when they teleport in or out in this movie. The criminals use this ability to escape Superman. There's super feats here too. FLYING is shown as a satisfactorily cartooned figure for long shots that some think is garbage and others like myself think is COOL. Think of this serial as a long 50's TV Reeves episode with similar level effects. The theme music is cool too. Alyn looked more like Superman than any screen actor one except for Christopher Reeve, the blockbuster movie guy. If you just want modern COLOR and blockbuster effects, this is'nt for you. It's a gem though and no one should miss KIRK ALYN as Superman, the FIRST actor in the role. Lois Lane is played by NOEL NIEL who was TV's main Lois later and she plays it even more as a weak, girl in trouble who could'nt rip her way out of a wet paper bag than she did in the TV series! Other reviews here probably tell you who else was in it, so I won't repeat it here.

SUPERMAN FANS MUST SEE THIS FILM!
One of the greatest of the classic serial films, ATOM MAN VS SUPERMAN has it all: space ships, evil criminals, action packed cliffhangers, and "the empty Doom" weapon. This movie shows the Man of Steel against Lex Luthor in a top notch adventure. Kirk Alyn is the best as Superman(next to Christopher Reeve)and Lyle Talbot steals the show as the mad genius-Lex Luthor. My only complaint is that the title villain never actually fights Superman, he just appears in a couple scenes. However, this classic is a valuable addition to any Man of Steel fan's collection.

WELL WORTH OWNING
400% BETTER THAN THE FIRST SUPERMAN SERIAL. IF THE SPECIAL EFFECTS WERN'T SO CHEESY, THIS WOULD BE 5 STARS. LYLE TALBOT AS LUTHOR STEALS THE SHOW. AFTER HEARING KIRK ALYN SAY "THIS LOOKS LIKE A JOB FOR SOOOOOPERMAN" A FEW TIMES YOU'LL REALIZE WHY GEORGE REEVES IS THE DEFINITIVE SUPERMAN. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This 1954 dinosaur brings together two giants of Broadway, Ethel Merman and Irving Berlin, just as their moment was passing forever, to create one last hurrah: a celebration of the glories that were vaudeville. Still, it's hard to imagine that Broadway--or nightclub entertaining, for that matter--was everquite this lavish and satisfying. The story centers on a married couple, the Donahues (Dan Dailey and Merman), who live on the road as vaudeville entertainers, and since they have children, begin incorporating the kids into the act. Eventually, the kids grow up to be Donald O'Connor, Mitzi Gaynor, and Johnny Ray, and they begin having interests of their own. Donald's is an ambitious showgirl (Marilyn Monroe), whose standoffish response to his romantic overtures drives him to drink. Best for its lavish, splashy production numbers built around some of the best of the Berlin songbook, including the title tune and "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody." --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Something for Everyone
This movie has something for everyone. Watched it for the first time today, then read reviews here on Amazon and elsewhere on internet. Marilyn fans think she is the best thing in the film. Ethel Merman fans rave about her performance. Hollywood musical fans rave about the extravagant production numbers. Johnny Ray fans rave about his only film appearance. Technical reviews(of DVD version) rave about the sharpness of the image, color rendition, sound reproduction and restoration process. Of course, Pseudo-Intellectual-Sophisticates like Tom Reynolds panned this film ... but pay no attention to the naysayers. This is a really fun film to watch, a gem, a blast from the past, non-stop singing and dancing from the Golden Era.

Overblown but tremendous fun!
It's wonderful to have these recordings available in true stereo and the version of the title song belted out by Merman remains her most definitive recording of the song. A few oddities: Johnny Ray's vocal track for "If You Believe" is wildly out-of-synch (and re-listening to the original Decca album it does sound as if they manipulated the track with some editing. Ray was deaf.. perhaps he could not hear the click track? At any rate, Varese should have tried to edit the song so that it sounds the same as in the film) and there are a few other places where the orchestra comes in too early. Minor quibbles. More curious was the decision to drop some musical segments that were in the film: Gaynor adn O'connor doing a wicked parody of (parents) Merman and Daily; Dailey's "You'd be surprised"; Merman's "Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee" and the deleted songs "Anything You Can Do" and Marilyn Monroe's unused vocal of "You'd be surprised" - but what is on the disc is great! And the set comes with good liner notes.

It's the Five Donahues..............
Ok Ok. I have been a lifelong Marilyn Monroe fan since childhood, I love her. But when you are a Marilyn fan you have to put up with hit and miss movies. No Business is one of them. When Marilyn is on the screen singing and dancing, the movie is all hers. Who doesn't love the Heat Wave number? The rest of the movie is a drag and unless you are a huge Ethyl Merman fan (?) this film doesn't have much to offer.

This is a musical with a very light plot; the story of the Donahue Family in show business. The two sons grow up to be a couple of dorks. The one who wants to be a priest is just scary. He acts like a Peter O'Tool derelict with a murderous smile. The other one is driven over the edge by Marilyn's lack of interest and joins the Navy.

Like I said, if you are a Marilyn fan, there are scenes in this film that you must have. If youare not a Marilyn fan, well you got Ethyl and Berlin music.

BETTY GRABLE WHY DID'NT YOU DO THIS MOVIE?
Betty Grable was supposed to play the Ethel merman part , but looked to young to be a mother of grown ups Donald O'Conner , Mitzi Gaynor and Johnny Ray so they hired Merman.

A must Have Musical
I think this is one of the best musicals available. And- if you're into musicals this one you need to get. Since Hollywood refuses to make musicals you better latch on to this one while you can. I think the color and the musical numbers are wonderful! And in those days they used better color for films than they do today! For color films and for tv viewing they use cheap color. Many people has told me that they thought their tv was fading out and had a foggy color to it. I've told them it's not their tv at all. The best color was always used back in the 40's and 50's. I see nothing ethnically wrong in the film that would be wrong. People are just too too sensitive these days and now they are picking the old films apart. They need to learn how to get over it. I am so glad that they have not destroyed these old films because 98 per cent of the films today are trash and will never become classics such as this one. When all the great producers and directors and screenwriters pass away there just seems like no one can take their place. They knew what they were doing back then. The craftsmanship has been lost. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Up in Arms not only introduced Danny Kaye to moviegoing audiences, but marked his first (of several) ventures with producer Samuel Goldwyn. In this 1944 musical set in contemporary time, a hypochondriac has wartime adventures while trying to impress a pretty nurse. With its lush cinematography in vibrant colors that still leap out, the film will nonetheless still have the politically correct police Up in Arms--the portrayals of the Japanese are stereotypical and cringingly embarrassing. Most notably forgettable is a scene in which Kaye's Danny Weems impersonates a Japanese officer and emerges a hero. But remember, the film was released at the height of war--and of American patriotism. Overall, Kaye's talent shines--he performs the lyrical work of wife Sylvia Fine, one of five contributors to the still catchy, still singable songs. And for those who remember Dinah Shore only from either her TV talk show or the popular golf tournament that bears her name, here's a revelation: she was a super talent. She sings, dances, and lights up the screen. Costars Virginia Merrill and Dana Andrews have the thankless roles of straight persons to the charismatic Kaye and Shore, who have a phenomenal dance number that'll leave you humming the tune long after initial viewing. Look for Kaye's subsequent frequent costar Virginia Mayo in a blink-and-you'll-miss-her Goldwyn Girl role. --N.F. Mendoza ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Remake of " Whoopee"
This film was Danny Kaye's first as a star for Goldwyn. Kaye plays Danny Weems, a hopeless hypochondriac who finds himself drafted into the army. While a passenger on an overseas transport ship, Danny is obliged to hide his girl friend Mary Morgan, who has accidentally stowed away on board, from the authorities. The plot (what there is of it) contrives to have Danny and Mary, together with Virginia playe dby the very talented Dinah Shore, who's in love with Danny, and Joe, who's in love with Mary, arrive simultaneously on the same South Sea island. After numerous comic and romantic complications, Danny emerges as the hero of the hour by capturing a whole bunch of Japanese soldiers. The film shows signs of post-production tampering-an offscreen narration, and abrupt ending-indicating. Despite its erratic editing and uneven scenario, Up in Arms contains some priceless moments, including Kaye's rapid-patter songs "The Lobby Number" and "Melody in 4F", both written by Sylvia Fine (Danny Kaye's wife) and Max Liebman. There are also a few cute "inside" jokes referring to the illogical nature of the plotline

Up In Arms
If you love or loved Danny Kaye's zany face and body language, you will love the scene in which one of Danny's so-called buddies catches him using his record player ...I literally fell of the couch laughing and breathing heavy!

DANNY KAYE'S TECHNICOLOR FILM DEBUT
Redheaded David Daniel Kaminsky became a well-known player along the "Borscht circuit" playing in the Catskills of upstate New York in the late thirties. Kaye later played in the successful Broadway show "Let's Face It" which co-starred Eve Arden and Vivian Vance in 1941. Goldwyn's faith in the 31 year-old Kaye was justified; the newly peroxided Kaye made his debut in this remake of Eddie Cantor's "Whoopee", and became a household name.Danny plays a confirmed hypocondriac who's so frightened of maladies that he's secured a job as the elevator operator in a medical building! The scene in the cinema lobby is brilliant and he's got the lovey Doris Dowling and the rather unphotogenic Dinah Shore around him while he wreaks havoc in this screwball comedy which made him an instant star.

Charming movie
Up in Arms is very funny. It has all the wit and charm of the one and only original Danny Kaye.

The Century's Greatest All-Around Entertainer
Now that the year 2000 is upon us, it's quite arguable that Danny Kaye is perhaps the greatest all-around commedian and entertainer to grace the stage and screen in this century.

While others could equal his performances in their own areas of specialty, Danny Kaye was a master of all of these specialties, singing, dancing, comic monologues, even romantic leads which were breathtakingly convincing and not forced.

He could dance nearly as well as Astaire, was the equal of Durante in comic dialogues, could sing as well as any of the best popular vocalists of the day, and could do impersonations and accents in a way unsurpassed by anyone on the stage.

He was as handsome as any leading man of the time and moved with incredible body grace. He was a joy to watch and Up in Arms was again, arguably, one of his best and funniest features.

If such a competition exists, I'd be proud to nominate Danny Kaye as the best all-around entertainer of the Century. Frank Pierce ... Read more

Reviews (4)

DELIGHTFUL SPOOF OF GONE WITH THE WIND
This is fun indeed. Sonja is surrounded by toptalent such as Irving Berlin(but not his best score), Tyrone Power, Rudy Vallee and Edna May Oliver. Unfortunately she is not given much to do outside her numbers, but it is apparent that she was on her way to become warm in front of the cameras as an actress. Edna May Oliver stands out as a warm and cynic aunt Phoebe. Sonja`s solo on ice is terrific; u can see she is in great pain because of her heart-aches and how she`s feeling better and throws off her sorrows through her work-out on ice. That`s an actress on ice. They say that no one has ever controlled an audience on ice the way Sonja Henie did it.

Her tango was initially edited, but Sonja demanded it back as a whole and she was the only star to contradict Darryl F. Zanuck. Her temperament and clashes with Zanuck are part of Hollywood-legend. Milton Berle once declared: "I wouldn`t say she controlled - but she had the wip!" hehehe...

A delightful little spoof for the year it was made
I find this little film utterly charming. It is very much of its time as it was made and released in that Golden Hollywood year of 1939 when so many wonderful classics were released. In particular this film homes in on the exhaustive search that David O. Selznick undertook to find the perfect Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind" as the source for its own storyline of the search for just the right girl to star in a fictional movie called "Girl of the North".

At this time Sonja Henie despite a limited range as an actress had very quickly become a top Box Office attraction and was one of the great stars at Twentieth Century Fox just behind Shirley Temple. She combined supreme skating talents with a sweet persona that won audiences over and made her films for Fox huge money makers.
Sonja was often teamed with the biggest leading men at Fox like Don Ameche, Richard Greene and of course as here, the wonderful Tyrone Power. The two had already had a great success together in 1937 in "Thin Ice" and the two not only looked splendid together on screen but also had a really great screen chemistry.
In "Second Fiddle" they play antagonists who of course eventually fall in love. Being of the time of course no expense was spared on the production which even now has a special glow about it. The production numbers are lavish, and while the Irving Berlin score is not the most memorable it still compliments the overraul production.
Tyrone Power is as always a delight as the male lead showing the right combination of cheekiness and charm as the press agent trying to get Henie's school teacher character to come to Hollwood with him. The always excellent Edna May Oliver lends her usual great presence to this film as Henie's no nonsense aunt and she has a surprisingly wonderful screen rapport with Tyrone and some of the most delightful scenes in the film are when these two "square off' against each other.
If you enjoy musicals from this golden era of Hollywood or are a big fan of Tyrone Power or Sonja Henie like I am you will enjoy "Second Fiddle' Not the greatest musical of this era but an enjoyable hour and a half nevertheless.

Weak Irving Berlin score, but fine cast and production
If you're looking for typical Irving Berlin song hits, skip this one ("The Song of the Metronome" is one of the deathless ditties here). But if you're in the mood for an agreeable musical show, there are engaging vocals by Mary Healy and The King Sisters, and Sonja Henie's skating is impressive. The plot parodies Hollywood's "search for Scarlett O'Hara," with schoolteacher Henie brought to the movie capital by press agent Tyrone Power. Good supporting cast, especially Edna May Oliver as Henie's maiden aunt. The picture and sound quality are excellent.

Spoof search for THE GIRL OF THE NORTH - GREAT FUN
This is propably Sonja Henie`s best film. In this, her skating is at its best. The music by Irving Berlin however is not on par of what we are used to from that composer, but the lines,c costumes, set decorations, photography and supporting cast(TYRONE POWER, RUDY VALEE and EDNA MAY OLIVER) makes this one of the best 20th Century-Fox musicals of the 30s. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A little-known comedy gem, this never-more-timely sendup of quiz showsand media promotions stars a delightfully aloof Ronald Colman as Beauregard Bottomley, the "last scholar." Beauregard, out of work and living with his sister (Barbara Britton), hits on the idea of making a bundle on the Masquerade for Money radio show, produced by Milady Soap and hosted by a good-natured dolt (yes, that's Art Linkletter).

Initially, Beauregard is in it for the loot, but this soon changes as the show's apoplectic boss, Burnbridge Waters (Vincent Price), mobilizes his staff--and in-house Mata Hari (Celeste Holm)--to finish off the seemingly unflappable contestant. Now front-page news, Beauregard means higher ratings and increased soap sales. Burnbridge realizes he has created a monster.

Directed by Richard Whorf from a script by Hans Jacoby and Fred Brady, with music by Dimitri Tiomkin, this sophisticated, rapid-fire lark will remind some of vintage Preston Sturges (Sullivan's Travels). Itbenefits immeasurably from the casting of Colman and Price as antagonists. Colman does a shrewd parody of his erudite charmers, and Price proves that he had the makings of a top-flight comedian well before he turned to ham-and-stakes horror. The title refers to Beauregard's alcoholic parrot and its choice of beverage. --Glenn Lovell ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A Comical, Cinematic Curiosity
"Champagne For Caesar" has all of its main characters playing against type. Dashing Ronald Colman, star of "Beau Geste" and many other action films, stars as Beauregard Bottomley. He's the ultimate bookworm, an intellectual snob with no social life. Celeste Holm, the sophisticated star of "High Society" and other wholesome family fare, plays Flame O'Neill. She's a femme fatale with sex appeal, brains and ambition, but no heart. Art Linkletter, most famous for hosting a television show, plays Happy Hogan, host of the fictitious Masquerade Party quiz show. He's a ladies man who woos Beauregard's sister in an attempt to get insider information, but ultimately wins her heart.

The most amazing performance in this film is that of Vincent Price, star of "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" and countless other horror movies. Here he plays Burnbridge Waters, head of Milady Soap Company and sponsor of the quiz show. His performance is a comic masterpiece, especially when he goes into one of his many trances. There's one scene where Ronald Coleman is touring the soap factory, standing near a vat of boiling hot soap. Vincent Price is sorely tempted to push him into the vat, but resists. It eerily foreshadows the movie "House On Haunted Hill" with its vat of acid.

The film drags a little towards its ultimate happy ending, but has many comedic highlights along the way. Also, with characters named Beauregard, Burnbridge, Flame, Happy, Frosty and Caesar (the alcoholic parrot), it has the strangest character names of any movie, with the possible exception of "Dr. Strangelove."

Phone call from Einstein
The film starts with a great opening-shot: a beautiful blonde basking in the sun - but the protagonist is not she, but the gentleman in the neighboring bungalow: Beauregard Bottomley (Ronald Colman), the last scholar. In a constant pursuit of knowledge, he reads and reads and reads. He piled up his informations until he reached the highest pitch of erudition. He knows everything - with two exceptions: Who turned his parrot into a drunkard, and how to find himself a job. The intellectual level of quiz-shows (sample of the questions: how much is two and two?) scandalizes him. He is quite a dogmatic wiseacre: When the labor exchange sends him to apply for a job as pollster for "Milady soap - the soap that sanctifies) and Burnbridge Waters (Vincent Price), the boss, has a flash of genius ("I'm thinking of putting on the market an all-purpose cake of soap that will also be used to clean teeth") does he have to crack jokes? Waters, used to be handled with kid gloves is hurt in his feelings: "I loathe humor and you're humorous".

The disgracefully dismissed Bottomley dreams up a clever revenge: Milady is worth 40 million dollars and Waters sponsors "Happy Hogan", a double-or-nothing quiz-show. Bottomley enters the competition with the intent of swallowing Waters assets to the last flake of soap. He is self-confident, quick at repartee and knows absolutely everything. Every week he doubles his winnings. The show becomes a hit, the ratings rise just as the sales of soap. Bottomley becomes a fifteen-minutes-of-fame-celebrity, only in the early days of television they lasted longer. While he wins and wins, Waters grins and bears it. But after Bottomley's winnings hit the $40.000 mark the nervous strain becomes too much for him. He orders Hogan to spy on Bottomley's sister: find out his Achilles heel!

Bottomley appears at Milady's to inspect his prospective property. Only superhuman self-control keeps poor Waters from pushing him into a pool of boiling suds. At last Waters learns of Bottomley's weak spot: he yearns for love...Waters is jubilant: Nothing could be easier! Flame O'Neil (Celeste Holm) is the right woman for this task. She has everything - except a heart. And so Waters sets her on Bottomley. Mission: shatter his nerves, derange his intellect and find out the one question he won't be able to answer...

The plot is imaginative, the dialogue is witty and the humorous description of tv-stars and their audience around 1950 is to the point. What this film needs is a director like Lubitsch or Wilder to coddle it up. The material is good, not polished. In fact, it's a time-capsule of its era: plain, prosy, upright...But this film is saved by its stars. Vincent Price has never been better (except in THEATRE OF BLOOD). He has not one frame of mind, but four: in trance, foaming with rage, of ominous politeness and on the brink of a heart-attack. Try to imitate his speech: take a deep breath and let the words fall out of your mouth sideways...Celeste Holm as chirping, giggling Mata Hari is the right woman to drive a man crazy: She takes Colman's temperature, feels his pulse, shakes up his pillow, but it's only after she makes him believe that she shares his taste for literature that he flounders in her net. I wish Ronald Colman would have had more sophisticated material for his last performance as romantic lover. With him the cinema lost a true gentleman.

Bad transfer
I won't go into the story line as others before me have covered that. Let me instead deal with the quality of this DVD. It stinks! Mainly because of the sound. At points it sounds like the actors are talking under water. At first I thought I had a bad disc, so I returned it for replacement, but got the same problem. So I wrote to the company that put this out on DVD and this was their response: Thank you for your inquiry. We are sorry to hear that you are disappointed with your latest Image Entertainment purchase. Unfortunately the problem that you are describing concerning the soundtrack of this film is the result of damaged film stock. Image Entertainment made three attempts to find the best available master for this film and the finished product was made using the best remaining film stock available.

Bottom line is, buy this ONLY if you can't do without this film. Otherwise there are lots of other wonderful films on better DVDs.

Picture is fun and smart. The sound, just awful.
"Champagne for Caesar" was a film I saw in my early days of film going. I've always remembered it as a smart and funny film, especially notable for Celeste Holmes sophisticated turn as Ronald Coleman's charming nemesis and Vincent Price's off-the-wall performance as the eccentric manufacturor of "Milady Soap, The Soap That Sanctifies."

I looked forward to this DVD but must report that technically it falls too far short to recommend. About a quarter of the way into it, the sound turns extremely harsh and is almost unlistenable. Later still, intrusive scratches and smudges-- that surely could have been eliminated--suddenly intrude, spoiling the moment.

"Champagne for Caesar" remains a charming romp but not in this presentation.

Great Satire with a Great Cast
Several years ago, I saw Vincent Price on a talk show, and he was asked what his favorite was of all the movies he had made. He replied that it was a movie he considered "way ahead of it's time", titled "Champagne For Caesar". I was very excited to hear him say that, because it has been one of my favorite movies since I discovered it late one night on a local tv station back in the 60's.

This is a very funny satire of quiz shows and of tv advertisers, backed by a stunning cast which includes Ronald Colman as Beauregard Bottomly, a genius who knows everything except how to keep a job. He embarks on a quest to destroy a sponsor of a tv quiz show, by answering enough questions to bankrupt them. Celeste Holme co-stars as the beautiful, intelligent femme fatale sent to find his weakness. Vincent Price is the owner of the soap company who sponsors the quiz show, and his performance as the wickedly funny "Dirty Waters" is one of the many bright spots of this film. Art Linkletter has a supporting role as "Happy Hogan", the host of the quiz show, with some very funny moments between him and Vincent Price. Mel Blanc is the voice of "Caesar", an alcoholic parrot. Everybody in this film is excellent, and this is a movie that shouldn't be missed. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Goodness Has a Lot to Do With It
This enjoyable comedy has always been one of my favorite Mae West pictures although it does not enjoy the fame or reputation of I'M NO ANGEL or SHE DONE HIM WRONG or even MY LITTLE CHICKADEE. The movie was based on a naughty hit play called PERSONAL APPEARANCE that starred Gladys George as a blonde movie queen with multiple men who finds herself stranded among her fans in the middle of the country. Sounds like a terrific springboard for a Mae West picture but the movie was made after the censor boards clamped down and cut nearly all of the racy dialogue which may well have been Mae Westisms in the first place!! Yet the movie has a lot to offer fans of classic movies, especially for it's glimpse into how movie-mad the American public was in the 1930's. Mae is delightful and her seduction of Randolph Scott is one of her more potent cinema encounters. The film also gives lie to the legend of West being so jealous of other women she never let other actresses shine in her films - the picture is loaded with excellent character actresses who have many scenes with Ms. West and Elizabeth Patterson even has some wonderful lines in scenes with La Mae and a delicious barb at Mae's expense: "In my day, women with hair that color didn't go out in the daytime!" Mae West even shares many scenes with another blonde - delightfully dingy little Isabel Jewell who at one point even does an impression of Mae's Paramount rival Marlene Dietrich in a scene with Mae talking about how much she loves movies! Mae even is unafraid to appear unsympathetic, at times acting quite bossy and self-centered as a spoiled movie diva. This is a really enjoyable if unusually conventional 1930's comedy film for a Mae West picture which is all the more reason it may find a greater audience than many Mae West romps.

WINNER, Most Enigmatic Title
That's because this movie has absolutely nothing to do with the west--it's set in PA. Except that there's some talk that big movie actress Mae West will take local rube grease monkey Randolph Scott back to Hollywood with her. Or--duh--maybe it's a play on her last name? Down to basics: Mae is this big movie star whose contract stipulates that she cannot marry for the next five yearrs. Her public relations man Warren William is there to make the contract stick, and so promptly dispatches any guy he thinks Mae will look twice at. Car trouble lands the two in a Pennsylvanian hick town filled with her hayseed fans, further complications when Mae takes a shine to local yokel Randy Scott. That's about it. Takes too long to get to the much better and rather satisfying wrap-up. Be that as it mae, Ms. West is always fun to watch with all her purring and undulations. Warren William is the comic relief this time round (oh, he's so much better as a scoundrel, as in "Skyscraper Souls" or "Employees' Entrance"--what a waste of talent); here he shows a little of that whatever it was that was so disturbing in great quantity in the gadawful "Satan Met a Lady". "Go West, Young Man" was okay for one viewing, but I don't advise a revisitation.

Tamed
After the failure of "Klondike Annie," Mae West tried something different: an adaptation of someone else's material. "Personal Appearance" was a stage play about a big star stuck in a small town, and in the early scenes of the film, she is fairly funny as she plays the star as vain, ignorant, and self-obsessed. This brief bit of satire is promising, but the film soon becomes the usual West vehicle, with various slickers and studs after the irresistable heroine. This is the rare West film with a strong supporting cast, and it passes fairly pleasantly, but the censors were at their strongest -- and Mae without double entendres isn't really Mae.

PERSONAL APPEARANCE
Zestfully tedious. Mae plays a movie star whose car breaks down in a hick town. She's invited to stay at the home of a young blond farmer in the form of Randolph Scott... One would expect Mae's impact on the unsophisticated folk she encounters - plus her allurement of the handsome young farmer - to be pretty darned amusing. Not so. Under the Legion of Decency's scrutiny, the star had become more statuesque and less outrageous and the pace of the play - on which the film was based - slowed down as Mae struck her glamourous signiture poses which were always kept front and centre by director Henry Hathaway. Based upon the successful broadway comedy PERSONAL APPEARANCE which starred Gladys George as Mavis, this rather toned-down version is an adequate yet unexciting vehicle for star West. Born August 17, 1893 in Brooklyn, Mae's dad was a small-time prizefighter named Jack West while her mother Mathilda was supposedly a great beauty in her day: a Lillian Russell type. While Mae was by no means a beauty, the amazing Hollywood expert beauty technicians made West look much more attractive than she was in the twenties: one can hardly believe she's the same person when photographs from the two decades are compared! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A must see
I think this movie is absolutely wonderful! It gives great insight into family life!! Not all kids are lucky to have a 2 parent family. It shows how children are affected by the problems of there parents!! There is alot of fun in this movie also. It is not one to be missed!

Our Little Girl-we don't care about her
This sounds like a more modern movie and many children could relate to this. Molly (TEMPLE) is a sweet little girl who only see both parents together two days a year. When they want to get a divore Shirley(Molly) tries to keep them together. She goes to the circus and decides to run away. I think they could have found a better thing then running away but can't do that now. She sings one short song in this movie and it takes away from the hapiness because when Shirley sings-everyone's happy. In the movie her parents really don't seem to care about her which I think is very odd. Not the greatest- but see it anways-you might think diffrent.

She Makes People Happy Today
I love this movie I remeber it well. This was one first of Shirley Temple movie I saw when I was a little. This a good story. It is about a little girl name Molly who has 2 Saturdays a year to be with mom and dad. Problem Dad is always working. Mom is lonely. They decided not to be marry anymore, but Molly is tring to save the marriage.

Interesting Temple film
"Our Little Girl" is a lesser Shirley Temple film, but it's still pretty good. Quite different from the musical spectaculars Temple was known for, "Our Little Girl" gave her a chance to show off her acting skills.

The storyline is surprisingly contemporary. If you changed the costumes and cars, it could be a modern TV script.

One interesting thing about this film is that Shirley plays a very normal American child--not a waif, an orphan or someone's long-lost granddaughter. She's Molly Middleton, the only daughter of a doctor and a housewife. She has a splendid house, an adorable Scottie dog and a room furnished with anything a 6 year old could want. Her parents take her on outings, have pinics at the river and spoil her rotten.

However, there's trouble in Paradise. Molly's father (Joel McCrea), a brilliant researcher, begins to neglect his family and put in long nights at the lab. Molly's mother (Rosemary Ames), who grows bored of sitting around the house by herself, takes up with a dashing new suitor, Rolfe Brant (Lyle Talbot). The marriage falls apart, and Mrs. Middleton plans to seek a divorce and run away with Brant.

Caught in the middle of all the chaos, of course, is Molly. She stresses out over her parents and tries to sabotage her mother's new relationship. As she is increasingly ignored, Molly worries that her parents don't love her anymore, and, eventually, runs away from home. Since this is a Temple film, there is a happy ending, but not before her parents are given a scare and a chance to re-evaluate their situation.

Molly's fears about the divorce and her parents are honest and realistic, and they are played out well in the script. In one scene, she cries while her parents fight in the next room. In another, she confronts her mother's boyfriend Mr. Brant with some biting, but painfully polite, retorts (Molly, on being asked to call the boyfriend 'Uncle Rolfe': "can't we just talk without my calling you anything...sir?"). When Molly meets her father, right after discovering that Mrs. Middleton and Mr. Brant plan to marry, she is too grief-stricken to speak.

Temple handled the role well. She was not given a showcase for her musical talents in this film (excepting one short song), but she did prove that she was just as gifted in acting. Her interactions with McCrea and Talbot were especially strong.

Among the other actors, the dapper Lyle Talbot was phenomenal. Cast as Rolfe Brant, he did a good job of portaying the film's closest thing to a villain. He also had a great speech at the end of the movie.

The material isn't always top-notch, however. There are a few other scenes that are extremely sappy, and some of the lines and later plot twists are a bit implausible. The action also tends to drag a little. However, this is still an interesting find and worth watching.

It was great!
I am a Shirley Temple fan, and I think that this is one of her best movies. It also has a good moral to it. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Barbara Stanwyck in early Tough Girl Prison Drama
These wonderful early pre-code dramas are hugely entertaining to watch from the point of view of the surprisingly "modern" approach they often take in telling a story. No where is that more evident than in this very early Barbara Stanwyck starring vehicle "Ladies They Talk About". Warner Brothers of course were well known for their mastery of the hard hitting stories usually set in the gangster underworld. Here the women's prison of San Quentin is the setting for a no frills, hard hitting little revenge drama starring the queen of the toughies at that time, Barbara Stanwyck.

"Ladies They Talk About", based on a real life account, chronicles the story of Nan Taylor (Stanwyck) who when taking part in a bank holdup is caught out with her fake alibi and sentenced to do time in Women's San Quentin. Prior to her sentencing she runs into an old acquaintence from her home town David Slade (Preston Foster), a crusading evangelist who finds his childhood attraction to Nan reignited. He sets out to get Nan off the charge only to discover that she actually was part of the bank heist and is using him as a "stool pidgeon" to avoid jail. He then pushes for the full penalty of the law and soon Nan finds herself behind bars in San Quentin. Once in prison Nan is introduced to life on the inside where she makes friends with fellow prisoner Linda (Lillian Roth) and comes into conflict with prison toughie "Sister" Susie (Dorothy Burgess), who also has a thing for David Slade from afar. Contacted by the old gang about a prison breakout Nan manages to get copies of the layout of the female prison and assorted keys from trusting Warder Noonan (Ruth Donnelly) to aid in the break out from the men's section. Her two former buddies plan to to first break through into the women's section to engineer their escape. David Slade accidently posts a letter that Nan slips in his pocket during one of his visits to try and rekindle the romance with Nan , with the effect that the gang are apprehened and shot by the prison guards. Nan's feelings of revenge now against David run very deep and upon her final release she goes to one of David's revival meetings with a loaded gun determined to kill him. Once alone with David Nan only succeeds in injuring him and when he covers up the attempt by her on his life Nan finally sees that he does have her best interests at heart and realises the real love that is between them.

Vintage melodrama perhaps but "Ladies They Talk About", shows an honest and non sensational version of love and revenge without the Hays Office censorhip restrictions on such material that came into Hollywood in 1934. Here we see the prison system revealed in all its greyness, not just black and white. Prostitution, lesbian characters and mental illness are at least presented in the story however tame they might appear by today's standards. Barbara Stanwyck had certainly one of her best early roles in "Ladies They Talk About", playing the equally vengeful, tough and yet vulnerable Nan in an honest non showy way. Her redemption in the final scene while certainly melodramtic still has an honest ring to it because of Stanwyck's sure handling of the role. Preston Foster is fine as the do gooding David Slade who despises Nan's course in life while still finding himself drawn to her independance and no nonsense manner. The most memorable and colourful characters in the story are the actresses who play all the inmates of the female section of San Quentin. Maude Eburne, a veteran of countless classic films of the 1930's is unforgettable as "Aunt Maggie", the arm chair rocking overseer of all that takes place in the women's section. Dorothy Burgess as toughie "Sister" Susie and gifted character actress Ruth Donnelly as the kind hearted prison matron who foolishly befriends Nan prior to the breakout bid, also stand out in this memorable production. Being the 1930's of course the prison cells seem a little less grim than they possibly were in real prisons of the time and possibly some of the inmates do seem a bit too polished to be hardened criminials. However apart from those points "Ladies They Talk About", tells a non-sentimental story that packs alot of punches. The sterile environement of prison life while to an extent partly glamourised still gives us an insight into how those institutions were run.

Warner Brothers were famous for these types of productions and here they dont disappoint. While there have been more violent and vividly startling women's prison dramas produced by Hollywood, "Ladies They Talk About", is one of the better ones in this genre, combining an exciting story, great characters realistically portrayed and an excellent central performance by Barbara Stanwyck in the type of screen role early in her career she made her own. I highly recommend you see the pre-code story set behind bars in a women's prison in "Ladies They Talk About".

No Holds Barred Behind Bars
Yet another Pre-Coder, "Ladies They Talk About" shows us what happens when women walk on the wild side a little too often. Moll Barbara Stanwyck aids and abets during a bank heist and winds up with a jail sentence. An old friend who's now a preacher man (Preston Foster) starts to intervene, but when he realizes that she wants to make a sap out of him, gives her the whammy. So now she's in jail AND mad at the preacher. And in jail are a lot of tough customers, a lot worse in many ways than the guys on the outside. You name it, it's going on, including a somewhat butchy gal who Babs has to watch out for. There's even a jailbreak attempt, for good measure, before Barbara comes to her senses about her own responsibilities.

While nobody's much of a "lady" here, I'm sure this is one flick you and your friends can talk about later.

SAUCY STANWYCK
LADIES THEY TALK ABOUT is one of the best melodramas of its ilk to come out of Warner Bros. during the thirties. As Nan Taylor, a tough-talking moll who's part of gang of bank robbers, Barbara is full of life in this turgid story, utilising every emotion at her command; her performance is a delight. The supporting cast is first-rate: Lillian Roth, Dorothy Burgess and Maude Eburne come quickly to mind - it's great fun to watch this little flick which is based on the true life experiences of Scottish actress Dorothy Mackaye. Mackaye did time after her husband was killed in a battle over actor Paul Kelly (who also did time). The two passionate lovers eventually married but their bliss was short-lived since Mackaye died young in the early 40's. This little flick was notorious in it's day for depicting frankly man-hungry women behind bars. Lillian Roth sings "If I Could Be With You" and the elusive Etta Moten sings "St. Louis Blues" off-stage. Oddly enough, Stanwyck made a total of SEVEN films with the word "lady" in title!

Stanwyck at her pre-code best.
Terrific pre-code Stanwyck vehicle. Lots of leg, laughs, lingerie, and snappy comments. Barbara at her best. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A must see
I think this movie is absolutely wonderful! It gives great insight into family life!! Not all kids are lucky to have a 2 parent family. It shows how children are affected by the problems of there parents!! There is alot of fun in this movie also. It is not one to be missed!

Our Little Girl-we don't care about her
This sounds like a more modern movie and many children could relate to this. Molly (TEMPLE) is a sweet little girl who only see both parents together two days a year. When they want to get a divore Shirley(Molly) tries to keep them together. She goes to the circus and decides to run away. I think they could have found a better thing then running away but can't do that now. She sings one short song in this movie and it takes away from the hapiness because when Shirley sings-everyone's happy. In the movie her parents really don't seem to care about her which I think is very odd. Not the greatest- but see it anways-you might think diffrent.

She Makes People Happy Today
I love this movie I remeber it well. This was one first of Shirley Temple movie I saw when I was a little. This a good story. It is about a little girl name Molly who has 2 Saturdays a year to be with mom and dad. Problem Dad is always working. Mom is lonely. They decided not to be marry anymore, but Molly is tring to save the marriage.

Interesting Temple film
"Our Little Girl" is a lesser Shirley Temple film, but it's still pretty good. Quite different from the musical spectaculars Temple was known for, "Our Little Girl" gave her a chance to show off her acting skills.

The storyline is surprisingly contemporary. If you changed the costumes and cars, it could be a modern TV script.

One interesting thing about this film is that Shirley plays a very normal American child--not a waif, an orphan or someone's long-lost granddaughter. She's Molly Middleton, the only daughter of a doctor and a housewife. She has a splendid house, an adorable Scottie dog and a room furnished with anything a 6 year old could want. Her parents take her on outings, have pinics at the river and spoil her rotten.

However, there's trouble in Paradise. Molly's father (Joel McCrea), a brilliant researcher, begins to neglect his family and put in long nights at the lab. Molly's mother (Rosemary Ames), who grows bored of sitting around the house by herself, takes up with a dashing new suitor, Rolfe Brant (Lyle Talbot). The marriage falls apart, and Mrs. Middleton plans to seek a divorce and run away with Brant.

Caught in the middle of all the chaos, of course, is Molly. She stresses out over her parents and tries to sabotage her mother's new relationship. As she is increasingly ignored, Molly worries that her parents don't love her anymore, and, eventually, runs away from home. Since this is a Temple film, there is a happy ending, but not before her parents are given a scare and a chance to re-evaluate their situation.

Molly's fears about the divorce and her parents are honest and realistic, and they are played out well in the script. In one scene, she cries while her parents fight in the next room. In another, she confronts her mother's boyfriend Mr. Brant with some biting, but painfully polite, retorts (Molly, on being asked to call the boyfriend 'Uncle Rolfe': "can't we just talk without my calling you anything...sir?"). When Molly meets her father, right after discovering that Mrs. Middleton and Mr. Brant plan to marry, she is too grief-stricken to speak.

Temple handled the role well. She was not given a showcase for her musical talents in this film (excepting one short song), but she did prove that she was just as gifted in acting. Her interactions with McCrea and Talbot were especially strong.

Among the other actors, the dapper Lyle Talbot was phenomenal. Cast as Rolfe Brant, he did a good job of portaying the film's closest thing to a villain. He also had a great speech at the end of the movie.

The material isn't always top-notch, however. There are a few other scenes that are extremely sappy, and some of the lines and later plot twists are a bit implausible. The action also tends to drag a little. However, this is still an interesting find and worth watching.

It was great!
I am a Shirley Temple fan, and I think that this is one of her best movies. It also has a good moral to it. ... Read more

Reviews (166)

Out of this world!
"Plan 9 From Outer Space" has been dubbed the worst film ever made. I can't disagree with that. Here are just a few of the things that qualifies it for that title.

- When the police drives from the town to the cemetary time somehow switches from night to day back to night.

- The Swedish accent of wrestler Tor Johnson, playing a police officer / walking corpse.

- The six feet tall, blonde chiropractor that replaced deceased Bela Lugosi.

- The plates-glued-together UFO's with strings completely visible.

- The cardboard tombstones that wiggle.

- The cemetery ground, obviously a piece of fabric covered with leaves.

- The plot, or rather lack thereof.

- The dialogue, hilariosly funny only because it's meant to be serious.

- The actors. Nuff said.

Still, it's also one of the best films ever made. Ed Wood Jr. was a filmmaker with a passion. He wanted to make films, so he made films. You can't help but respect that. That's why this movie deserves five stars, and "Deathstalker III: Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell" deserves none.

Future events such as these...
Uttery obscure until the Medved brothers' 'Golden Turkey Awards' highlighted it as the 'Worst Film Ever Made', this is not so much a 'bad' film as a hysterically incompetent one. Consistently failing to triumph over the lack of money, resources and technique available, it quite neatly shows how films should not be judged in terms of 'bad' or 'good', but in terms of 'entertaining' or 'not entertaining'. Whilst 'Plan Nine' is clearly the work of bungling, but enthusiastic incompetents, it's hugely entertaining in a way that the professionally-done 'Speed 2: Cruise Control' is not. Only 'Robot Monster' comes close the the tone of insane incoherence. Where else can you see such a diverse, iconic cast (featuring the recently-deceased Bela Lugosi, a late-night-television horror movie hostess, a wrestler, and a minor celebrity hypnotist) deliver dialogue such as 'Inspector Clay's dead, murdered, and somebody's responsible'?

Note that there are two DVD releases - this one has a lengthy (longer than the film, in fact) documentary, whilst the other has a plug for Tim Burton's equally-good 'Ed Wood'. This one is slightly more expensive, but worth getting, as the documentary is excellent. Commenting on picture and sound quality seems somehow inappropriate, really.

Well it ain't the worst
In fact besides I'd go as far as to say this is perhaps the most competent Ed Wood movie around. Sure there are glaring errors such as Bela running back and forth to the grave in broad daylight ( when it's supposed to be night-time ) and his replacement is obvious ( come on, he's at least 4 inches taller I reckon ). And indeed the last 20 minutes descended into a farce that unfortunately sunk the film. Yes, it shows a degree of ineptitude on Ed's part but for most of the film there was an almost professional air to how the actors acted.

Ed thought that he'll be remembered for this film. This was his big one and he's right, it's the one we remember him most for. However I don't think he would have liked the tag it's been given but if you want to be remembered he certainly went about the right way in doing it ( even if the results were all wrong )

But if we start at the start with Bela's last real scene where he mourns his lover's death - that was a really touching scene. The emotion in that looks too real that it can't be described as fake or cardboard cut out. If anything that was the most poignant scene Ed ever captured on film. He may have been an inept film-maker but that was a stroke of genius - no kidding!

I get the feeling Ed cast Vampira as Lugosi's wife mainly because if you've seen the Tim Burton movie you'll know that Lugosi thought she was " a honey " and it was certainly a nice gesture to Bela to do that. Vampira doesn't have to do much in this film. Just walk really slowly and look ominous whenever the camera is on her. Looks beautiful while doing so I have to admit. I'm almost certain that she inspired George Romero to make Night of The Living Dead by her walking alone.

Criswell makes his appearance in this film and you have to say, him, along with Vampira and Tor, got almost uncanny lookalikes in Tim Burton's biopic that it seems almost spooky.

Hats off to whoever had the idea of using saucer lids for um the use of flying saucers. Really neat and easily identified even if it was black and white. Still not too bad a job. Oh and who could forget Saturn as a ballbearing - Top Class!

The last 20 minutes are a farce as I've said before mainly because it's supposed to be a showdown between the humans and the aliens....or to be more precise 3 men with guns and a man and a woman in funny clothing that are supposed to be aliens. The acting here is horrifically poor and despite it all being passionately acted it just seems.....well a bit silly. And whatever niggling doubts you had about the film leading up to the last 20 minutes, will no doubt be exposed by the end. A shame because the film showed Ed at his most coherent. And that sadly was the pinnacle of Ed's career.

So all in all it's not the worst movie of all time and certainly not the worst you'll ever see ( unless you're a connoisseur of good taste and in that case what the hell are you reading this for ). Definitely his most enjoyable film. Now if someone could only just tell Criswell to shut up ( I wish Ed had tried, honestly try to do that ).

But for Ed, this would be his shot at greatness and while it backfired, it was about as good as he could make it. Perhaps if he were making these now and not 40 years ago he might have gotten away with it. And I'm sure Ben Affleck would have been great as the dumb pilot if it were made now. Think about it

Here's to Ed though - he may not have been the greatest but he sure knew how to entertain us

Bela Lugosi Lives! (Just not in this film)
How does one describe a movie such as this? Like "Robot Monster," it is a masterpiece, and like "Robot Monster," this is not because "Plan 9 From Outer Space" has even a shadow of an ounce of quality to it. Rather, this is an example of just how wrong everything in any creative project can go if it is in the hands of the right angora-wearing genius.

For nothing (and I mean NOTHING) came out right in this movie. Continuity? Hah! Realistic dialogue? Pish! Convincing acting? Gah! Remotely realistic special effects? Heaven forbid! No, what Ed Wood gave us with "Plan 9" is quite simply a cinematic failure that not even Orson Wells could have duplicated if he had tried. In what other movie is one of your stars dead even before the script is written or shooting begins?

No, "Plan 9" is unique, a thing that we mere mortals can only begin to try and understand. Instead we can only watch, transfixed and trembling in awe that Wood's vision was transmitted so perfectly to the silver screen. This is a movie that well deserves to be ranked among the immortal creations of motion picture history, despite or perhaps because of the fact that it completely lacks any of the features that would normally merit such an inclusion.

To think otherwise can only be the result of stupid minds. Stupid! Your stupid, stupid minds!

"You see. You see. Your stupid minds. Stupid. Stupid."
Also known as "Grave Robbers From Outer Space", Edward D. Wood's masterpiece of horrific filmmaking has been called the "worst movie ever made" by more than a few critics and movie fans. This hasn't kept this unintentially hilarious sci-fi dud from becoming a massive cult classic. And rightfully so. Ed Wood's art for making movies so bad that they're actually good has never been more apparent than it is here.

"Plan 9" revolves around a couple of space invaders in bad suits who fly around in spaceships on strings and resurrect the recently dead to haunt the inhabits of a small town where it seems to go back and forth from night to day a lot. The humans aren't having it though as a joint team of the local police, military, and an overacting airline pilot refuse to be terrorized by the undead creatures (who can't decide whether they're ghouls or vampires). But these visitors from a badly-drawn planet resembling Saturn have their own intentions. They're hear to warn us of a new solar-powered weapon that the Earth will eventually create and wipe out the universe. But our heroes aren't going down without a fight. They've got enough army movie stock footage to send them aliens back where they came from.

What makes "Plan 9" so entertainingly terrible? Where do I start? There's the overly-descriptive narration of Criswell who practically gives play-by-play for every action in the film. You've got Bela Lugosi who appears courtesy of silent footage recorded before his death and with the help of a stand-in who looks nothing like him. And who could forget those cooky cops who don't allow the discovery of their Captain's horrifying death to damper their moods any? Also there's Duke Moore's hards-as-nails detective who fearlessly uses his gun to fix his hat when necessary.From the bargain basement graveyard chalk full of cardboard headstones to the hungry young overactors spitting out silly dialouge, "Plan 9" is truly the "Citizen Kane of bad movies".

For those looking to pick this gem up on DVD, the Image edition is the only way to go. Not only is the picture the best that it's ever looked but it comes with a feature-length documentary, "Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The Plan 9 Companion" and the trailer for the movie. Avoid the Passport version which has a company logo imprinted in the bottom corner similiar to the ones that TV networks use. ... Read more

Description

After their success on Broadway, the 'Dead End Kids' were recruited by Hollywood. Eventually these young kids from the streets of New York became bonified celebrities, known as the 'Bowery Boys' and starred in over 50 films and serials. In this film the boys are accompanied by the comedy duo of Leo Gorcye and Huntz Hall. The combination of gangster melodrama and slapstick scenarios makes this Bowery Boys series a favorite for young and old alike. ...