Reviews (9)

An entertaining film
A nice, interesting film. Story holds your interest. Shirley Temple fans will enjoy her personality in this film.

Shirley's First Lead Role for Fox
I love this film!! Since there are many reviews giving you a synopsis of the picture's plot, I'll skip that part and tell you what I enjoyed with this film. Shirley is delightful and at her highest entertainment in this film, and its amazing since this is one of her first lead roles. She's tiny and irrestible- its like you just want to climb into the movie and pinch her rosy cheeks!

She was lucky to get to work with a talented cast including James Dunn (one of her best partners) and Claire Trevor. The best part of the movie is when the officers at the end of the movie ask James Dunn's character if he's alright (he was just shot in the shoulder mind you) and he says- OH ITS JUST A SCRATCH! I always die on the floor laughing! God love the classic movies of the 30s. And of course James Dunn doesnt need any medical attention and it all ends pleasantly! And there is another part where Shirley Temple is help letting lose the bad guy (well she of course doesnt know hes bad until later) and she uses a knife to cut him lose- Just look at Shirley's face when she picks up the knife. She looks like a pyscho killer! It is excellent! Its little Shirley gone bad!

Dont get me wrong- I'm a die hart Shirley fan- I own practically all of her movies (all of the them under her fox contract from 1934-1940) and have read Child Star her autobiography which is like 700 pages. I just find these little things greatly humorous! I recommend Baby Take a Bow to any Temple fan- its one of her bests!

Awwwwww .......Shirley Take a Bow
This has to be one of her best in the opinion of me! It is one of her most modern movies.She lives in a n apartmentr with her mom and dad and she even gets to play herself. Her daddy is a criminal going straight and when a clients neclace is stolen it messes everything up. Well they throw shirley's b-day party and she is amazing in the little ballerina dress and singing. Then the thief gives shirley the neclace to worsen things up,she thinks its a birthday gift (it is but) and makes a hide and go seek game out of it and puts it in her daddys pocket!yIKES then a very annoying guy comes to look he begins to look in their fathers coatjacket and just before he goes into the pcoket and say it would never be in there he then meets shirley and the father discovers it yikes!they then hide it in a duster/vacum/thing and the cleaner lady comes to get it ! they are safe it goes on until the criminal comes into the house and while the father tied him up shirley unties him because he gave her the gift! HE THEN TAKES HER and is in his hands for a whole 5 minutes ...its a little spooky for a 4/5 year old but all will turn out well as always

a good shirly temple movie
This is defianently the best shirly temple movie. It's a very good movie for kids.

Cute Shirley Temple film, but not for kids!
This is a cute movie and Shirley Temple is just adorable in it, but there is a scene at the end of the movie in which little Shirley is--literally--in the clutches of the bad guy. She is bodily carried to the rooftop of her apartment building, screaming, "Mommy! Daddy! Help me!!" for about six or seven minutes while the police are in pursuit with guns drawn and bullets being fired. I didn't find this appropriate for my young daughter, who currently is enamored with little Shirley Temple. At 2 1/2 years old, my child is too young to understand that "Baby Take a Bow" is just a movie and that the little girl was not in mortal danger during the making of the film. I will let her watch other movies by Shirley Temple rather than this one.

I don't know how many films Temple had made by the time "Baby Take a Bow" was filmed, but it certainly shows that she had tremendous talent at a very young age. She was truly a child star and entirely deserving of that title. What a wonderful little actress! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A fluffy costumer from Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott and John Wayne star in PITTSBURGH, a very entertaining yarn set against the backdrop of coalmines and WW2.

Josie Winters (Marlene Dietrich) inspires Cash Evans (Randolph Scott) and Pittsburgh Markham (John Wayne) to leave their dull and exhausting lives of working the coalmines, and to make their mark on society and big business.

Josie at first finds love with Pitt, but as he grows more big-headed and more snobbish, she finds solace in the arms of Cash.

An accident involving Josie taking a faulty elevator down the mine to break up a fight between Pitt and Cash almost ends in her death, and forces Pitt to finally see the folly of his ways.

A great story, one that everyone will enjoy.

Available seperately or in a box set with SEVEN SINNERS and GOLDEN EARRINGS.

I love you, Cash, so help me Hannah , I love you.
One of my all-time favorites, great cast, great story, and really great music. Good to see John Wayne as the heel for a change and lose a fist fight to my favorite hero, good-guy Randolph Scott. A must for all fans of John Wayne or Randolph Scott. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Donald Shines Twice in Navy
Donald O'Connor had wearied of the Francis series by the time he made this film, but it certainly doesn't show -- his acting is as wonderful, fresh, and funny as ever (could his weariness have had something to do, at least in part, with the fact that he missed out on making White Christmas with his friend Bing Crosby because in real life he'd contracted an illness from the mule??). In this installment, Peter is a victim of mistaken identity. When the young second lieutenant tries to rescue Francis from being sold as surplus, he is mistaken for his doppleganger, Slicker Donovan, a Navy war hero, and carted off to sea. Peter and Slicker may look exactly alike, but they couldn't be more different. O'Connor's whole face changes when he plays Slicker, the sophisticated womanizing gob. Seeing O'connor do double duty in this film really gives us a chance to appreciate his acting ability. He may not have enjoyed it, but you will!

A great highlight is the mandatory psycho ward scene. Peter has given up trying to convince people he's sane -- now he just goes along with the game with a touch of cynicism, and it's wonderful!

Ahoy There Mate! Pipe me On Board!
The Grand Puba (that's Mister Puba to You!) loves Francis! These videos really are great if you are in to family fare! Something that you can let the kids watch without fear of comprimising your values. If you liked Mr. Ed - you'll love Francis! Barney? Ppphhorgetaboudit! Get Francis instead!

Of the series, this is Emma's favorite.
Francis ends up as post-war surplus and the Navy auctions him off. Donald O'Conner as Peter Sterling is Francis' innocent and likeable pal who tries to save him. But enter "Slicker", a notorious, tough womanizer who happens to look exactly like Peter. Slicker's friends (look for a very young Clint Eastwood) and naval commanders get the two mixed up and Peter ends up in a Navy uniform. An old plot (even for 1955) Peter, with the help of Francis, save the day. Emma's favorite scenn is where Slicker, Slicker's sister, and Peter all meet together for the first time. Dad enjoyed seeing some of the young stars (Eastwood, Martin Milner) who went on to bigger things. Emma gives it five stars, but Dad ony give it three. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Kind of silly, but entertaining
If not for Peter Lorre, this movie might be too silly to sit through. But Lorre turns in a grand performance, along with G. Carroll Nash as the detective.

If you can not laugh when 'THE HAND' starts crawling around, then you are indeed a serious horror movie fan!

Recommended for Lorre's performance.

Give Peter Lorre A Hand!!
This is a well-titled, but bizarre horror film from Warner Bros, a studio not known for producing horror films. Victor Francen stars as a renowned pianist living in one of those dark creepy movie mansions/castles. One hand is useless, so he uses his other hand to play. He relies heavily on his nurse, Andrea King, shuns his secretary, Peter Lorre, and sometimes seeks the company of Robert Alda who helped adapt the music for one-handed playing. When Francen dies (violently) and leaves his estate to his nurse, this sets off a series of strange events as everyone is terrorized by his disembodied hand!!

Sound bizarre? Well the film certainly is strange, establishing a foreboding mood early on and then taking the story in "unusual" directions. The characters are not well defined, especially the nominal leads Alda and King. It's one of those films where the characters need a slap to the head since they act so stupidly at times (or maybe it's the writers who should have been slapped around a bit). Only Peter Lorre really establishes a presence and performance here, going all the way in his characterization of the decidely strange secretary. It's perfect casting for the role and he capitalizes on it.

Director Robert Florey does establish some mood and atmosphere, but the outright silliness and illogic of the whole story hurts the film. It's fun to watch at a certain level, but with a better script and director it could have been a much more effective chiller.

The creeping hand...
Victor Francen, a very wealthy man, is unable to cope with the fact that his stunted hand has robbed him of his greatest pleasure: piano-playing. He feels nothing but contempt for the sycophants who beleaguer his house: Legacy-hunters and permanent resident Peter Lorre who "studies" in his library - they all sponge on him. Imagine the indignation of his relatives when his testament is opened and his nurse (Andrea King) is his sole heiress! They contest the will and Lorre fears the loss of "his" beloved books. But soon they realize that they have more to fear than just the loss of their inheritance: Francen's hand displays its individual existence, creeps around the house and strangles everybody unreasonable enough to stay...

Why is everybody standing petrified while the hand is climbing up their body? Why don't they simply decamp? The film is neither as eerie as it should have been, nor as funny. The part with the testament drags on and the leading actor looks like a stage-villain with his beard. On the other hand it has a feeling for the 1890ies italian atmosphere and Peter Lorre plays with great gusto. With his haircut he could replace Demi Moore in G.I JANE every minute and he enjoys himself when he casts the horoscope of his supporting players and describes with glee the pangs of death that await them. The star player however - Francen's severed hand - needs some acting lessons: its performance is better than that of Michael Caine's hand in THE HAND (1981, directed by Oliver Stone), but not as good as Conrad Veit's hands in ORLACS HÄNDE (1924).

his Bach is worse than his bite
In their Hollywood in the Forties book, writers Charles Higham and Joel Greenberg attest that director Robert Florey disowned the studio cut of his film. Florey shot the story as seen through the eyes of Peter Lorre as an assistant to a disabled pianist whose hand it is believed is responsible for murder. Florey was confident the audience would be smart enough to realise that what we were seeing is not objective reality but rather Lorre's tormented vision. What survives is only redeemed by Lorre's hallucinations with the disembodied hand, his own manic intensity, handprints in the dirt, and the professional mourners hired to chant for the dead pianist. Otherwise we get stuck with a sappy romance between Robert Alda as a local fake antique sealer and big-haired Andrea King as the pianist's nurse, and static scenes of talk. The screenplay by Curt Siodmak gives Lorre an interest in "the secrets of the ancient astrologists, lost since the burning of the Alexandrian library", and the logic that someone could have been playing the piano other than the hand in "because nobody's ever heard you play, that doesn't mean you can't". The special effects of the hand require some getting used to since one naturally expects it to be a fake and therefore is looking at the mechanics, as in darkened sleave or blocking that can cheat the shot as when the hand is supposed to grab someone's throat behind a door or we get a hand POV shot. However there are moments where disbelief is suspended. The film's most bizarre... image is the disembodied hand, extending it's ring finger for Peter Lorre to replace the ring the pianist used to wear.

A creepily atmospheric horror tale.
Altho nominally based on a short story by W.F. Harvey, this film uses only the title (a great title!) and the basic gimmick of a living disembodied hand. A bit too slow-moving, but with several memorably scary scenes that have that perfect atmosphere you can only get with an old black-&-white horror film. The final "evil plot and hallucinations" payoff is not really satisfying, but Peter Lorre is at his unique best as a revenge-crazed madman. He dominates the film, despite his third billing. The scenes involving the living hand are technically excellent, and probably could not be improved on today. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An entertaining film
A nice, interesting film. Story holds your interest. Shirley Temple fans will enjoy her personality in this film.

Shirley's First Lead Role for Fox
I love this film!! Since there are many reviews giving you a synopsis of the picture's plot, I'll skip that part and tell you what I enjoyed with this film. Shirley is delightful and at her highest entertainment in this film, and its amazing since this is one of her first lead roles. She's tiny and irrestible- its like you just want to climb into the movie and pinch her rosy cheeks!

She was lucky to get to work with a talented cast including James Dunn (one of her best partners) and Claire Trevor. The best part of the movie is when the officers at the end of the movie ask James Dunn's character if he's alright (he was just shot in the shoulder mind you) and he says- OH ITS JUST A SCRATCH! I always die on the floor laughing! God love the classic movies of the 30s. And of course James Dunn doesnt need any medical attention and it all ends pleasantly! And there is another part where Shirley Temple is help letting lose the bad guy (well she of course doesnt know hes bad until later) and she uses a knife to cut him lose- Just look at Shirley's face when she picks up the knife. She looks like a pyscho killer! It is excellent! Its little Shirley gone bad!

Dont get me wrong- I'm a die hart Shirley fan- I own practically all of her movies (all of the them under her fox contract from 1934-1940) and have read Child Star her autobiography which is like 700 pages. I just find these little things greatly humorous! I recommend Baby Take a Bow to any Temple fan- its one of her bests!

Awwwwww .......Shirley Take a Bow
This has to be one of her best in the opinion of me! It is one of her most modern movies.She lives in a n apartmentr with her mom and dad and she even gets to play herself. Her daddy is a criminal going straight and when a clients neclace is stolen it messes everything up. Well they throw shirley's b-day party and she is amazing in the little ballerina dress and singing. Then the thief gives shirley the neclace to worsen things up,she thinks its a birthday gift (it is but) and makes a hide and go seek game out of it and puts it in her daddys pocket!yIKES then a very annoying guy comes to look he begins to look in their fathers coatjacket and just before he goes into the pcoket and say it would never be in there he then meets shirley and the father discovers it yikes!they then hide it in a duster/vacum/thing and the cleaner lady comes to get it ! they are safe it goes on until the criminal comes into the house and while the father tied him up shirley unties him because he gave her the gift! HE THEN TAKES HER and is in his hands for a whole 5 minutes ...its a little spooky for a 4/5 year old but all will turn out well as always

a good shirly temple movie
This is defianently the best shirly temple movie. It's a very good movie for kids.

Cute Shirley Temple film, but not for kids!
This is a cute movie and Shirley Temple is just adorable in it, but there is a scene at the end of the movie in which little Shirley is--literally--in the clutches of the bad guy. She is bodily carried to the rooftop of her apartment building, screaming, "Mommy! Daddy! Help me!!" for about six or seven minutes while the police are in pursuit with guns drawn and bullets being fired. I didn't find this appropriate for my young daughter, who currently is enamored with little Shirley Temple. At 2 1/2 years old, my child is too young to understand that "Baby Take a Bow" is just a movie and that the little girl was not in mortal danger during the making of the film. I will let her watch other movies by Shirley Temple rather than this one.

I don't know how many films Temple had made by the time "Baby Take a Bow" was filmed, but it certainly shows that she had tremendous talent at a very young age. She was truly a child star and entirely deserving of that title. What a wonderful little actress! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Melodramatic Moral Decisions
Contrary to what some other reviewers have written, I happen to find this movie quite enjoyable and a prime example of the "Happiness At What Cost?" theme that was explored in many outstanding films of the 30's, 40's and 50's. A few that come to mind are DODSWORTH (Walter Huston), ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO (Bette Davis) and THE SHINING HOUR (Joan Crawford), all of which dealt with people having to ask the question: Do I grab my one and only chance for true love, even though others may suffer for it, or do I follow the noble course of action and sacrifice my own happiness so that the feelings of others will be spared? This film certainly doesn't measure up to any of those classics, but it's still a very entertaining drama. The moral/ethical decision, in this case, involves lonely Lana Turner trying to choose whether to force her lover Ray Milland to leave his wife (an invalid confined to a wheelchair) or to let him go and leave his marriage intact. Soap opera? Maybe, but it's great stuff to watch on a cold winter afternoon.

A Waste of Your Time
A completely forgettable vehicle for Lana Turner, filmed in black and white so not even the clothing can be enjoyed. Turner plays an eager young model who falls in love with a married man. Unfortunately, Ms. Turner looks older than her thirty or so years in this picture, making her unbelievable as the fresh faced girl from Kansas. Her meteoric rise to the top takes about ten minutes and why she can't get a date with anyone but Ray Milland, a married man from out of town, is not too clear. It's the kind of over blown sap-fest contract players were forced to submit to back then. I'm a big fan of Lana's, and this was just too boring to finish watching. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Beast Within.
Acquanetta carries on as the lady with a simian alter ego. Although Cheelah the gorilla was shot dead at the end of "Captive Wild Woman," the beast within still lives. A doctor (J. Carrol Naish), driven by scientific curiosity, salvages the body and revives the primate. After the recovered Cheelah disappears from the lab, the mysterious Paula Dupree appears at the country sanitarium where the good doctor carries on his tampering in God's domain. Her human hormones lead her to obsess over a young man engaged to another woman. Death and terror rule the night as Paula suffers "ape-woman" interludes sparked by her jealous rage. Brevity is a virtue realized in the tight 61 minute running time of this movie. The plot doesn't have time to go awry. Acquanetta's understated acting consists mostly of long silent stares that emphasize her deep dark eyes. Terror lurks in the trees, passes by windows, and drapes sinister shadows across one's path. Farm animals perish brutally by night. When the beast is ascendant, birds and other woodland creatures go berserk, to the consternation of those persons alone in the woods. Much is suggested, but little is displayed. The fright make-up only appears briefly in a flashback segment and again in the final scene. Perhaps this subtle terror method was done to emulate Val Lewton, as Mr. Maltin suggests. Regardless, it probably saved production costs. This is an entertaining albeit second-string entry from Universal's fright factory. It doesn't pretend to be more. Collector's of classic horror films need this movie for their personal collection. Others should adjust their expectations accordingly. ;-)

A dull, listless horror film.
Second of the Paula, the ape woman trilogy, this film plods along. Naish plays a well-intentioned scientist who comes across as a ninny (poorly written script) Acquanetta can't act. A dull film. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

With its title inspired by the notorious Black Dahlia murder case,The Blue Gardenia throws a twist into the story by making the mystery woman not the victim but the suspect in a lurid murder case. Anne Baxter, playing a virginal blonde with almost breathless innocence, impulsively accepts a blind date after receiving a "Dear Jane" letter from her boyfriend in Korea. Raymond Burr oozes slime as the lothario who plots his seduction with cynical calculation ("For drinks, Polynesian Pearl Divers, and don't spare the rum!") and the naive Baxter is easy prey, until she fights back against his advances with a fireplace poker and stumbles home. Waking up thenext morning with the past evening a veritable blank, she discovers herself the prime suspect in a murder case trumpeted into a sensationalistic headline story by calculating columnist Richard Conte. Fritz Lang transforms the rather conventional low-budget thriller into a paranoid nightmare, his cheap sets and flat backdrops creating a tawdry world peopled by cynics and opportunists preying on the guileless, and Baxter makes every guilt-ridden moment palpable. Like in many film noir thrillers, the pat conclusion seems wholly arbitrary, the product of the Hollywoodhappy-ending machine. However, Lang's film isn't about the mystery, but the experience of an innocent whose single, desperate transgression turns her world upside down. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (11)

THE THREE BLONDE SISTERS
In my opinion, a film noir DVD library never would be complete without the movies directed by german director Fritz Lang in Hollywood in the 1940-1950 period. They simply have to be in it. THE BLUE GARDENIA is the first of these Fritz Lang movies to hit the DVD market thanks to Image. Starring Richard Conte, Anne Baxter, Raymond Burr and Ann Sothern, THE BLUE GARDENIA is about murder, trust and guilt.

Anne Baxter thinks she has killed Raymond Burr, the police knows she has killed him because a lot of evidences have been found on the scene of the murder and we know that she's guilty because we have seen the scene with our very eyes. So what ? Where's the suspense ? Nowhere, because there isn't suspense in THE BLUE GARDENIA. Fritz Lang is more interested in describing the behaviour of Anne Baxter who really doesn't act as if she doesn't want to be rediscovered. The director has read the complete works of Freud and is playing with his heroine tortured by guilt.

No extra features with this Image presentation except for a scene access. Too bad.

A DVD for your library.

Fritz Lang Lite -- more murder mystery than noir
No doubt hoping that a title reminiscent of the Alan Ladd/Veronica Lake hit The Blue Dahlia (itself a knockoff of the notorious 1946 Black Dahlia murder in L.A.), the minds behind this movie set Fritz Lang to directing Anne Baxter, Raymond Burr and Ann Sothern in this tame but stylish and watchable thriller. Baxter, on the rebound, agrees to date the boorish Burr. Having drunk lagoons of Zombies at the Polynesian palace that gives the film its name, Baxter tries to fend off Burr. When he's found dead, she remembers nothing.... Fans who know how shocking Lang's The Big Heat still is will find this entry rather tepid, but it's an effective murder story, with half a dozen moments of stunning noir photography and, better yet, with Ann Sothern as Baxter's roommate, smoking a cigarette with rubber gloves while she scrubs the dishes.

"Sudden death sells papers."
In "The Blue Gardenia" Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter) is a naive telephone operator who sits at home most evenings. Her fiance is stationed in Korea, so while Norah's two roommates enjoy their social lives, Norah turns down offers and stays home to read letters from Korea. Artist/playboy Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr) telephones one evening--he thinks he's calling one of Norah's roommates, but he gets a distraught Norah instead. Norah accepts Prebble's invitation to meet for dinner at the Blue Gardenia. After downing half a dozen Polynesian Pearl Divers, a very inebriated Norah accompanies Prebble to his home. The next day, Norah can't remember a thing, but newspaper headlines announce Prebble's murder--and a hunt begins for the mysterious blonde murderess now known as "the Blue Gardenia."

"The Blue Gardenia"--directed by Fritz Lang--is film noir, but it is also considered an entry in the sub-genre of newspaper noir. A great deal of the plot focuses on newspaperman Casey Mayo's unethical attempts to contact the murderess and get an exclusive story. Mayo (Richard Conte) will stop at nothing to sell the paper, and he capitalizes on sensationalism and the sleazy aspects of the murder. "The Blue Gardenia" is an interesting film as it has a few twists on some familiar themes--for example, the killer is a woman, and a male offers comfort (although it's a false offer). Plus Norah's reputation is at risk by even admitting she's stepped into a man's apartment--anyone who downs 6 Polynesian Pearl Divers is a real floozy in everyone's eyes. There's also an appearance of Nat King Cole singing Blue Gardenia. The initial set-up with Norah and her roommates was refreshingly original, and Anne Baxter gave a credible performance as the naive Norah. Unfortunately the plot denouement was contrived, hasty and far too simplistic. Film noir fans will enjoy the film for its novelties, but it's not one of the greats--displacedhuman

Classic Film Noir With A Feminine Twist
The acting by both Anne Baxter and Raymond Burr is exceptional and elevates this to one of my favorite film noirs. Baxter is the young innocent Norah Larkin who is crushed when she receives a 'Dear Jane' letter from her boyfriend in Korea. Devastated and alone, she is easy prey for the slimey Harry Prebble portrayed by Raymond Burr in his pre-Perry Mason period. After a drunken night, Norah can't remember anything except that she was fighting off advances from Prebble. The newspapers are filled with the story of his murder and the mysterious blonde who left a blue gardenia behind. Viewers watch Norah slip deeper and deeper into paraonia as she frantically tries to conceal her involvement yet remember the details of her ill-fated night. Adding to the outstanding cast are Ann Sothern and Jeff Donnell as her roommates and Richard Conte as the newspaper reporter who makes an open appeal for the Blue Gardenia killer to come forward and trust him. As the police web (led by TV's Superman George Reeves) tightens around her, Norah turns to the reporter to help her, but....suffice it to say the happy-ever-after ending is a little too quick and easy. However, this is definitely worth watching and as an added plus you will be treated to the melodic voice of Nat "King" Cole singing the title song throughout the movie.

Be Forewarned.
Having seen and enjoyed most of Fritz Lang's movies from his Berlin period, I bought this highly recommended DVD sight unseen. It was a great disappointment. Where to begin? The story is weak and predictable; the dialogue is very cliched; the acting--excepting Raymond Burr's wonderful performance as a sleazy artist--is unconvincing. Don't expect what the DVD label tells you--this is no "noir thriller" and it doesn't do anything to expose McCarthyism, despite Lang's pretentious comments. One nice touch: there is a brief 5 minute scene with Nat King Cole singing "Blue Gardenia" in what was becoming a new trend in early 1950's America: a Chinese restaurant. As a period piece, this film has some merit, but don't expect a well crafted noir film like the "Maltese Falcon", "Sunset Boulevard", or even "M" or "Dr Mabuse". ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Soporific hagiography ;torpour inducing
Sister Elizabeth Kenny was ,beyond question,a remarkable woman.Her pioneering treatments for polio victims were eventually hailed all over the world and her triumph was achieved in the face of often implacable resistance from the medical establishment in her native Australia and elsewhere.It is an inspiring story about a redoubtable woman
This is not alas a movie that does either her or her achievements justice.It is too slow,the tone is over reverential and the acting is just plain bad.Lighting is dull and unimaginative and pacing funereal
The story is there on screen but presented in so flat and unimaginative a way that audiences will most probably cease to care long before it crawls its way to a climax that is leaden rather than inspirational
Misfiring tribute to an exceptional person but hopefully the movie will inspire some to read about the woman and if so it will have served a useful purpose

A Great Story With Historical Significance
This movie is superb and chronicles the life of Sister Elizabeth Kenny, the Australian nurse, who was a pioneer in Physical Therapy, and who invented a successful treatment for polio. As a nurse in isolated areas, and without prior knowledge of the traditional treatment for polio, she treated victims based on her observation of the symptoms. She used new words like "spasm", used hot compresses, and re-educated muscles. Her treatment was so successful that she eventually opened her own clinics. The movie shows the sacrifices she made in her own personal life, because of her calling to help children who contracted polio. It took a long time for her approach to be recognized by the male dominated medical establishment. It is a very heart-warming story and I admit I get goosebumps in a few places, especially at the moment that she realizes that children who are not treated using her method are still crippled from the disease. I would strongly recommend this movie. It's a real classic. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Soporific hagiography ;torpour inducing
Sister Elizabeth Kenny was ,beyond question,a remarkable woman.Her pioneering treatments for polio victims were eventually hailed all over the world and her triumph was achieved in the face of often implacable resistance from the medical establishment in her native Australia and elsewhere.It is an inspiring story about a redoubtable woman
This is not alas a movie that does either her or her achievements justice.It is too slow,the tone is over reverential and the acting is just plain bad.Lighting is dull and unimaginative and pacing funereal
The story is there on screen but presented in so flat and unimaginative a way that audiences will most probably cease to care long before it crawls its way to a climax that is leaden rather than inspirational
Misfiring tribute to an exceptional person but hopefully the movie will inspire some to read about the woman and if so it will have served a useful purpose

A Great Story With Historical Significance
This movie is superb and chronicles the life of Sister Elizabeth Kenny, the Australian nurse, who was a pioneer in Physical Therapy, and who invented a successful treatment for polio. As a nurse in isolated areas, and without prior knowledge of the traditional treatment for polio, she treated victims based on her observation of the symptoms. She used new words like "spasm", used hot compresses, and re-educated muscles. Her treatment was so successful that she eventually opened her own clinics. The movie shows the sacrifices she made in her own personal life, because of her calling to help children who contracted polio. It took a long time for her approach to be recognized by the male dominated medical establishment. It is a very heart-warming story and I admit I get goosebumps in a few places, especially at the moment that she realizes that children who are not treated using her method are still crippled from the disease. I would strongly recommend this movie. It's a real classic. ... 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. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Leo and Huntz end up in the Air Force by mistake.
This is the 31 rst film in the Bowery Boys film series. For this review, I will list the approx. age of the Bowery Boys. Leo Gorcey 38, Huntz hall 33, David Gorcey 32 Bennie Bartlett 33. Bernard Gorcey's (Leo and david's father) plays "Louie". The gang believes their friend Dave (Todd Karns) who is in the U.S. Air Force and came to down to visit, may be in some trouble he can not get out of. So Leo and Huntz go to the Allen Air Force Base to visit Dave. When they get there, Leo wants to go where he thinks its the right location to see Dave, but they end up in the recruiting station. A beatiful lady sargeant asks them to fill out the forms. Then they under go tests. They think its odd to be going through all this just to visit Dave. The lady Sargeant tells them this is just a routine examination to be a "rookie". Boy, they know the word "rookie". They know their goose is cooked. Some how Hunzt ends up in the ladies barracks. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Remember: Never turn a killer orangutan into a woman
Okay, so Dr. Sigmund Walters (John Carradine) steals a killer orangutan brought back from the jungle who happens to be unusually intelligent and uses gland transplants, bizarre chemical injections and plastic surgery to turn the ape into a beautiful woman he names Paula Dupree (Acquanetta, "Tarzan and the Leopard Women"). Not that there is anything wrong with that. But, of course, Paula remains a beast at heart and all it takes is one emotional trauma and she is going to go back to her primal self and go on a rampage. So jilting her was probably not a good idea, you think? This movie is just a real Leonard Pith Carnel special, I can tell you that for sure. Believe it or not, "Captive Wild Woman" (1943) is the first in the Paul Dupree Ape Woman trilogy, followed by "Jungle Woman" (1944) and "Jungle Captive" (1945). What is interesting is that not only does Acquanetta never get anything remotely close to top billing in any of these films, she is replaced by Vicki Lane in the third one. I am horrified at the thought that these movies, produced during the Second World War, were shown to our troops in Pacific, since I seem to recall that orangutans are native to that part of the globe. Oh, that would just be so wrong on so many levels.

The Eternal Savage
A curious attempt to combine a horror movie and a circus adventure flick. A sinister doctor (John Carradine) surgically transforms a female gorilla into a mysterious woman named Paula Dupree (Acquanetta). She is attracted to animal trainer Fred Mason (Milburn Stone). Due to plot developments beyond our control, the surgery wears off and Paula undergoes an "ape-woman" transformation that is typical of the trademark horror movies of Universal Studio.

This film is both too much and too little. The running time is only 61 minutes. The scriptwriters made a noble effort to combine diverse plot elements within the time constraints, but the results are mixed. The convoluted plot goes off in different directions that don't always make sense. There seems to be an inordinate amount of time showing Clyde Beatty doubling for Fred as he whips the ferocious big cats into shape. Paula's emotions eventually trigger a response that tips her delicate glandular balance over the edge. Her devolution back to a gorilla is gradual and she initially changes into a murderous ape-woman creature, enhanced by Jack Pierce's makeup. This quasi-werewolf is the best part of this little movie, but the screen time given to this aspect of the story is too little. Perhaps one metamorphosis scene was all the budget could sustain. This reviewer was left wishing for more horror movie elements and less of the "let's train the big cats" segments. The climax of the movie is rushed and abrupt, as if the director was conscious of the clock ticking. The final fade-out pontificating on the danger of not reckoning on God is disjointed from the rest of the action.

This movie is described elsewhere as "camp" entertainment. Well, perhaps. As a modest budgeted suspense flick, it's okay, but it could be better. In the hierarchy of Universal's classic horror films, this one is in the minor leagues. To insure compliance with our "oath of office," dedicated collectors of classic horror films need this movie to complete one's video library. Other viewers should adjust their expectations accordingly. ;-)

Ankers/Acquanetta Fun!
For once, I agree with Leonard Maltin. This is a fun, campy masterpiece from the early 40s. We're introduced to young starlet, Acquanetta, who doesn't speak one line of dialogue. Her trim torso does all the acting, especially when she transforms from Cheela the Ape into Paul DuPree, the Ape Woman. Evelyn Ankers is, as usual, terrific and looks great in her fur hat and fur coat during the climax when the mad doctor, John Carradine, wants Cheela to kill Ankers and her sister. Carradine is unusually good as the sensual, intense doctor. Equally as good is underrated B-Actress, Fay Helm (who played Jenny in The Wolf Man and Margaret in the spooky Night Monster). She hasn't that many lines but as usual, Helm makes them sizzle. An off-beat, eerie chiller that any Ankers and Carradine fans should have on their video shelf.

Mediocre horror film with too many stock shots
Unlike Maltin I find this film no fun. It's too mechanical and riddled with cliches. It's as though some studio executive told a script writer to frame some cock and bull story around shots of Clyde Beatty doing his animal training acts in an old movie made in the thirties ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An entertaining film
A nice, interesting film. Story holds your interest. Shirley Temple fans will enjoy her personality in this film.

Shirley's First Lead Role for Fox
I love this film!! Since there are many reviews giving you a synopsis of the picture's plot, I'll skip that part and tell you what I enjoyed with this film. Shirley is delightful and at her highest entertainment in this film, and its amazing since this is one of her first lead roles. She's tiny and irrestible- its like you just want to climb into the movie and pinch her rosy cheeks!

She was lucky to get to work with a talented cast including James Dunn (one of her best partners) and Claire Trevor. The best part of the movie is when the officers at the end of the movie ask James Dunn's character if he's alright (he was just shot in the shoulder mind you) and he says- OH ITS JUST A SCRATCH! I always die on the floor laughing! God love the classic movies of the 30s. And of course James Dunn doesnt need any medical attention and it all ends pleasantly! And there is another part where Shirley Temple is help letting lose the bad guy (well she of course doesnt know hes bad until later) and she uses a knife to cut him lose- Just look at Shirley's face when she picks up the knife. She looks like a pyscho killer! It is excellent! Its little Shirley gone bad!

Dont get me wrong- I'm a die hart Shirley fan- I own practically all of her movies (all of the them under her fox contract from 1934-1940) and have read Child Star her autobiography which is like 700 pages. I just find these little things greatly humorous! I recommend Baby Take a Bow to any Temple fan- its one of her bests!

Awwwwww .......Shirley Take a Bow
This has to be one of her best in the opinion of me! It is one of her most modern movies.She lives in a n apartmentr with her mom and dad and she even gets to play herself. Her daddy is a criminal going straight and when a clients neclace is stolen it messes everything up. Well they throw shirley's b-day party and she is amazing in the little ballerina dress and singing. Then the thief gives shirley the neclace to worsen things up,she thinks its a birthday gift (it is but) and makes a hide and go seek game out of it and puts it in her daddys pocket!yIKES then a very annoying guy comes to look he begins to look in their fathers coatjacket and just before he goes into the pcoket and say it would never be in there he then meets shirley and the father discovers it yikes!they then hide it in a duster/vacum/thing and the cleaner lady comes to get it ! they are safe it goes on until the criminal comes into the house and while the father tied him up shirley unties him because he gave her the gift! HE THEN TAKES HER and is in his hands for a whole 5 minutes ...its a little spooky for a 4/5 year old but all will turn out well as always

a good shirly temple movie
This is defianently the best shirly temple movie. It's a very good movie for kids.

Cute Shirley Temple film, but not for kids!
This is a cute movie and Shirley Temple is just adorable in it, but there is a scene at the end of the movie in which little Shirley is--literally--in the clutches of the bad guy. She is bodily carried to the rooftop of her apartment building, screaming, "Mommy! Daddy! Help me!!" for about six or seven minutes while the police are in pursuit with guns drawn and bullets being fired. I didn't find this appropriate for my young daughter, who currently is enamored with little Shirley Temple. At 2 1/2 years old, my child is too young to understand that "Baby Take a Bow" is just a movie and that the little girl was not in mortal danger during the making of the film. I will let her watch other movies by Shirley Temple rather than this one.

I don't know how many films Temple had made by the time "Baby Take a Bow" was filmed, but it certainly shows that she had tremendous talent at a very young age. She was truly a child star and entirely deserving of that title. What a wonderful little actress! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Donald Shines Twice in Navy
Donald O'Connor had wearied of the Francis series by the time he made this film, but it certainly doesn't show -- his acting is as wonderful, fresh, and funny as ever (could his weariness have had something to do, at least in part, with the fact that he missed out on making White Christmas with his friend Bing Crosby because in real life he'd contracted an illness from the mule??). In this installment, Peter is a victim of mistaken identity. When the young second lieutenant tries to rescue Francis from being sold as surplus, he is mistaken for his doppleganger, Slicker Donovan, a Navy war hero, and carted off to sea. Peter and Slicker may look exactly alike, but they couldn't be more different. O'Connor's whole face changes when he plays Slicker, the sophisticated womanizing gob. Seeing O'connor do double duty in this film really gives us a chance to appreciate his acting ability. He may not have enjoyed it, but you will!

A great highlight is the mandatory psycho ward scene. Peter has given up trying to convince people he's sane -- now he just goes along with the game with a touch of cynicism, and it's wonderful!

Ahoy There Mate! Pipe me On Board!
The Grand Puba (that's Mister Puba to You!) loves Francis! These videos really are great if you are in to family fare! Something that you can let the kids watch without fear of comprimising your values. If you liked Mr. Ed - you'll love Francis! Barney? Ppphhorgetaboudit! Get Francis instead!

Of the series, this is Emma's favorite.
Francis ends up as post-war surplus and the Navy auctions him off. Donald O'Conner as Peter Sterling is Francis' innocent and likeable pal who tries to save him. But enter "Slicker", a notorious, tough womanizer who happens to look exactly like Peter. Slicker's friends (look for a very young Clint Eastwood) and naval commanders get the two mixed up and Peter ends up in a Navy uniform. An old plot (even for 1955) Peter, with the help of Francis, save the day. Emma's favorite scenn is where Slicker, Slicker's sister, and Peter all meet together for the first time. Dad enjoyed seeing some of the young stars (Eastwood, Martin Milner) who went on to bigger things. Emma gives it five stars, but Dad ony give it three. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Daisy becomes a model. Dagwood models bathing suits.
Daisy gets away from the dog catcher again. Now safe in the Bumstead house. A new neighbor kid, Tommy Cooper (Bobby Larson) comes by to meet Alexander (Larry Simms) and rest of the Bumstead family. While Daisy gets in some trouble again by chasing a cat up a tree, someone gets an idea to make Daisy a pin-up/covergirl. She ends up on the cover of a magazine. Then she gets a deal for Daisy soap. Now that Daisy is a model, they make Dagwood (Arthur Lake) a model for a bathing suit company. Blondie (Penny Singleton) is glad more more is coming in, but what on earth is Dagwood up to now? Guess who knocks down the postman this time? It's not Dagwood! Ernest Truex plays "Theodore Glassby". Danny Mummert was not in this one. he was commited to another film. Marjorie Ann Mutchie, "Cookie", is now credited as Majorie Kent. The next film in the series is BLONDIE'S LUCKY DAY. ... Read more