Reviews (8)

COLOURFUL BUT PONDEROUS
A lavishly corny confection. In this one, producer Adolphe Menjou seeks the advice of an average American girl (Andrea Leeds) concerning the qualities of his shows. The pluses this film has to offer include the ballet sequence, which is definitely a matter of taste, some fairly comical lines and the colour photography, which was the best yet in its day, because it wasn't considered "obtrusive". A rather inane script has Leeds fall in love with a greasy spoon cook and wannabe singer (Kenny Baker, who warbles LOVE WALKED IN about a dozen times) Leeds says zestfully: "I love hamburgers".........The very fact that Goldwyn put his name in the the title of a movie indicated that he considered it an extravaganza and a masterpiece (if not the greatest movie-musical ever made). Wrong. Granted, the musicals that were churned out at an alarming rate by Fox were fast and cheap, studded with vaudeville; they simply collapsed from sheer overkill. In his search for a formula, Samuel Goldwyn first paid three writers, including Dorothy Parker, $125,000; he then tore up their script and hired Ben Hecht. A curiousity from the thirties.

Entertaining but disjointed
"The Goldwyn Follies" has not fared well with critics even from the time it was first released, some of whom have called it one of the worst films ever made. My own personal opinion of this film isn't quite so jaundiced as that.

Part of the problem seems to be that Samuel Goldwyn attempted to out-Ziegfeld Ziegfeld, and in the process released a film that, while entertaining, seems rather disjointed. In certain respects "The Goldwyn Follies" stumbles & staggers like a car with a bad transmission. Perhaps it would have been better had this film been done in a revue form similar to the Ziegfeld Follies style.

Having said all this, "The Goldwyn Follies" is still worth viewing for all the varied & various entertainers who appear: ballerina Vera Zorina, Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, the Ritz Brothers with their own particular brand of insanity, popular singer Kenny Baker (a regular on Jack Benny's radio show at the time), opera star Helen Jepson, vaudevillian Bobby Clark (who for some reason was not permitted to use his trademark painted-on glasses), and radio comic Phil Baker.

The film's plot involves film producer Oliver Merlin (Adolphe Menjou) whose movies fail consistently at the box office. While shooting a film on location with his temperamental star Olga Samara (Zorina), Merlin overhears Hazel Dawes (Andrea Leeds in her first film following her triumph in "Stage Door"), a young woman who watches the film shoot with a friend & comments about how less than human the characters seem to be. Mr. Merlin follows Hazel to a drugstore soda fountain where he hires her to be "Miss Humanity" and critique his ideas for film scenes but not to associate with actors so as to lose her down-to-earth qualities. Eventually Hazel meets a prospective movie singer (Baker) who runs a lunch counter, and a love interest develops between them.

"The Goldwyn Follies" features music by George & Ira Gershwin as well as choreography by George Balanchine. The former's contributions include the song "Love Walked In" while the latter's include a "Romeo and Juliet" sequence resembling a competition between "The Nutcracker" and "West Side Story" as well as a ballet featuring Vera Zorina as a water nymph who ascends & descends from a pool.

For all the problems this film may have had, in the end it isn't a total washout.

P.S. Keep your eyes open for an appearance by a young Alan Ladd in a bit as an auditioning singer.

VERA ZORINA`S FIRST FILM
When Ingrid Bergman published her memoirs in 1981, Vera Zorina found herself unfavourably mentioned... In 1942 she was up to do Maria in FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, but was replaced because of tip-toing through the mountains... In an un-authorised biography of Bergman, Paul Henreid quoted Bergman saying "Zorina can`t act... I hope they find out how terrible she is..."

However. Such greats such as Richard Rodgers, Leonard Bernstein and Bob Hope have all praised her acting gifts. In 1946 the great GRETA GARBO saw her in "The Tempest" on stage and was spellbound. In THE GOLDWYN FOLLIES she stars as the love-sick temperamentel Olga Samara - and indeed - it is a a Russian Scarlett O`Hara we are given.
The film is a great comedy and satire of the Hollywood system and the music and performances are all great.
But it is Vera`s picture.
Look for her in ON YOUR TOES, I WAS AN ADVENTURESS and LOUISIANA PURCHASE also:)(:

Wonderful Classic
Being a fan of old movies, I've watched too many to name. This one in particular is one of those you'd like to go back and watch again and again. As you can see, it's out of print at the moment, but I believe it's well worth your money. It's very extravagent, music oriented, and has much comedy in it to keep you laughing throughout the entire movie. If you appreciate old movies/musicals you'll enjoy this one. It has a lot going on and I'd recommend it for all ages. Happy viewing! =D

More of an extravaganza than the script merited
11/6/02 I've seen this extravaganza thanks to "BlockBuster'video as it was before my time....I felt than it was too much of an extravaganza...of muscial renditions with a minor story plot;however based on when it was meant to be seen (in the late 1930's) when movies had more domainance than audience's financial ability to be entertained by musicians at the better clubs or renown theatres, as time goes by more and more we will apreciate the efforts of our first movie moguls,movie entities and movie actors,actresses and the studios's 'cast of 1000'..we're considered lucky when they clone certain scenes in animations with & thanks to modern technology(e.g. movies on dinasours).11/6/02 ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Who you gonna call? What about Bob Hope? He's only 100.
Bob Hope turned 100 today and the question was raised as to what movie of his should people try to see that is (a) pretty good but (b) not one of the standards like "Paleface" or the Road Pictures with Bing Crosby. My vote is for this 1940 film, "The Ghost Breakers?" The film is usually dismissed because it was just another one of haunted house comedies that were being produced right before World War II, but we are talking Bob Hope and that makes all the differences: Bob Hope being scared to death still makes me laugh, long after Lou Costello's similar routine grows stale. Having considerable hilarity going on before we even get inside the haunted house also helps the film.

The plot of this 85-minute black & white comedy has Bob Hope as Larry Lawrence, a radio star who has made his reputation as a muckraker. Fleeing from a murder in a hotel he ends up in the trunk of Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard) who is on her way to Cuba, where she has inherited the haunted Black Island and its haunted Castillo Maldito. Once on the island, Mary runs into the charming Parada (Paul Lukas), her old friend Geoff Montgomery (Richard Carlson), and the scheming Mederos twins (Anthony Quinn and Anthony Quinn). Meanwhile, at the castle awaiting Larry and Mary are the Mother Zombie (Virginia Brissac) and her giant zombie son (Noble Johnson, who you might remember as the native chief in the original "King Kong"). Larry and his trusted valet Alex (Willie Best) go ahead to the castle to make sure everything is safe for Mary, at which point wackiness ensues.

In contrast to the Road pictures Hope stays in character throughout the film and his romancing of Mary rings true. There is an earnestness to Hope's character that is missing from most of his comedies. Hope's wisecracks work even better because of this restraint. Meanwhile, Goddard reminds us that she knew how to compliment a first rate comedian and she certainly gets more laughs at Hope's expense than she ever got at Charlie Chaplin's (no surprise there).

The biggest downside of this film is that it embraced black stereotypes throughout, mainly with Alex and the Cuban natives. Allowances can be made, more because despite Alex embodying the racist notion of blacks as slow (i.e., lazy) he usually is the one solving Larry's problems, than because the times constitutes any sort of an excuse. But even if I see some subversive elements challenge racial prejudice in this film, when Hope quips that he is going to have to paint Alex white to see him in the dark, it is hard not to cringe. That might be enough to stop you from wanting to watch "The Ghost Breakers," but I hope that it does not.

The DVD has an okay featurette on Hope entertaining the troops during World War II, an excerpt from a command performance in 1944, and a short subject "Hollywood Victory Caravan." You also get the trailer and a collection of gallery stills from the production, which is enough to round the rating on this DVD up instead of down. The result is not a great film, but still a good one that I would put in the middle of a Bob Hope Top 10 film list. In fact, I just did.

ONE OF BOB AND PAULETTE'S BEST
Mr. Hope plays Larry Lawerence a radio announcer who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Someone's been shot and he thinks he's did it. Why? See the movie! Anyway, he stumbles across Mary Carter (played by Paulette Goddard) a beautiful brunette who has just inherited a castle in Cuba. Only thing is, the castle is reputed to be HAUNTED (did lightning flash when you read haunted? ) oh well. For some reason, a lot of people don't want Miss Carter to go to the castle, and someone has offered her a large sum of money for the place. But why? What is so special about an old castle? And why doesn't anyone want Miss Carter to have the place? SEE THE MOVIE!!! Larry and Miss Carter end up going to Cuba together to visit the historic castle. Part of what they find is ghosts and zombies. But what else lurks in the halls of this darkened castle? SEE THE MOVIE DARN IT!!! This movie is filled with action, suspense, horror, drama, and comedy, all rolled into one !!! Anthony Quinn has a small role in the film, and I just love the character named Alex. He adds a unique flavor to the movie. I just wish I could own a suit like Hope wears in this fun film. It's perfect for Halloween, and it's minus four letter words (of the bad kind). Of course, I'm partial to spooky/comedy movies anyway (they're one of my favorites). The lines of this film are delightfully written. Republicans will just love the question/remark Larry makes about democrats. The person who wrote the script is a master, plain and simple. All the sarcastic remarks and other wisecracks were the work of a genius. Everyone involved did superbly (did I spell that right?). In one part, Larry says to Alex, "we aren't going to get hurt unless we find the secret of this place" to which Alex asks "well why do we keep looking". Larry then responds with "it is sort of ridiculous isn't it?" Comical lines like that are found throughout the movie. This is a movie the whole family can watch and enjoy. I know I did.

Easily one of Bob Hope's finest films
Bob Hope was never truly a film comedian like Cary Grant or even Joel McCrea. He was primarily a radio personality who also appeared in a few films. For the most part, his later career was progressively weaker and weaker, and his celebrated series of Road Pictures with Bing Crosby were more notable for their spirit and energy than for much in the way of genuine humor. Indeed, of the famous comedians of the 20th century, Hope was one of the least funny. But for those who, like myself, do not count themselves among Hope's fans, there are two films that he made, both with Paulette Goddard, that are both remarkably entertaining and fun: THE CAT AND THE CANARY, released in 1939, and THE GHOST BREAKERS, released in 1940.

What made these two films so much more successful than those that followed? First and foremost, there is a balance between the rest of the film elements and Hope's strong screen personality. For many of us, a little Bob Hope goes a long way, and in small amounts can even be entertaining. Although shockingly few of his one liners are actually funny, he does possess a nice physical timing, a great energy level, and a pleasant persona. He was never more pleasant or well presented as in these two films. The balance was achieved partly by not focusing as much on Hope as in his later films, and partly by including a very strong supporting cast. The very beautiful Paulette Goddard adorned both THE CAT AND THE CANARY and THE GHOST BREAKERS (her marriage to Charlie Chaplain ending in between efforts), and this film included as well Paul Lukas, Richard Carlson, and a very young Anthony Quinn (and for once the Mexican Quinn--born Antonio Rudolfo Oaxaca Quinn in Mexico--gets to play an Hispanic). The sets are fun, the direction fast-paced and never dull, and while the one liners don't elicit many out and out laughs, they at least engender a spirit of enjoyment. I can imagine only the most curmudgeonly viewer not having fun with one.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the film is the role of Alex the manservant played by Willie Best, who along with other black actors such as Fred 'Snowflake' Toones played a host of frightened, illiterate, stupid, and lazy colored servants, red caps, and porters during the thirties and forties. In this film as well he is often fearful, frequently mangles his sentences, and is definitely subservient. Nonetheless, this is one of the most interesting of this kind of performance in any film I know from the era. Partly this is because you get the feeling that his character is far more intelligent than he at first lets on, and although he is often fearful, he always manages to get the better of his fear, and in fact intervenes physically more than once to help Hope when he is in danger. He and Hope seem more like companions the pure master and servant, and almost approximate Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Best does reinforce the stereotype in his role, but he comes very close to making something more of it. Sadly, it would remain one of the better roles for an African-American actor in a film mainly featuring white actors for some time (excepting several roles by the very talented and immensely dignified Rex Ingram, who is arguably the lone African American male who managed to completely shatter the stereotype in the 1940s, with several superb roles from THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD as the Genie, to Jim in HUCKLEBERRY FINN, to Da Lawd in GREEN PASTURES, to Lucifer in CABIN IN THE SKY, to Sgt. Tambul in SAHARA).

The DVD has a number of excellent features, including excerpts from some of Hope's USO tours (Hope was, of course, one of the foremost entertainers of U.S. troops in WW II, perhaps surpassed only by Marlene Dietrich, whose efforts were truly heroic, with her actually living with and entertaining troops in the front lines while the invasion of Germany pushed forward)

All in all, this was a very enjoyable film that will show Bob Hope at his very best.

Young Bob Hope and Paulette Goodard chase the spooks.
The Ghost Breakers (1940). Paramount Pictures Inc. A very popular Bob Hope movie. To start the mood, there is a furious thunder and lightning storm brewing in Manhattan. In fact, a man across the hall lights his cigarette with the candles Paulette Goodard (who plays "Mary") is holding and she says, "Nice night for a murder." There is a castle on Black Island where the ghosts have to find there way around in the dark. The castle was built by Mary's great-great-grandfather. The castle has many stories and legends. No one has ever spent the night inside the castle and be able to tell about it the next morning. Paulette plans on doing just that. It is now her castle. However, Anthony Quinn (as "Mederos") has awarning for her. Bob Hope plays "Larry", a radio announcer. He goes to the hotel and hears Mederos get shot. Terrified, he ends up in the apartment of Paulette. Bob had a gun in his trenchcoat pocket and as a nervous reaction, when he heard the initial shot, he pulled out his gun and shot the light above. But when he saw Mederos drop to the floor, Bob thinks he shot him. But of course he did not. It was the man in Room 1406. Bob and Paulette end up on a cruise together to Havana, Cuba. They are warned of voodoo and Zombies by a Cuban man. More fun begins when Bob Hope reaches the castle and encounters some spooks of his own. Remade as SCARED STIFF (1953) with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis with Bob Hope in a cameo appearance. Mr. Bob Hope delighted us for 65 years on radio, film and televison. He reached 100 years of age on May 29, 2003 and peacefully passed on July 27, 2003. He will continue to delight us and make us laugh for many more years to come. DVD includes, in the "Bonus materials" section, a six-minute featurette "Entertaining The troops--Bob Hope & the USO. Another six-minute featurette "Command Performance 1944" with Bob Hope, Betty Hutton, Lana Turner and Judy Garland. A theatrical featurette, "Hollywood Victory Caravan". Also Photo Gallery, Theatrical Trailer, Production Notes, Cast and Filmmakers, DVD-ROM features.

Hilarious Hope Haunted House Hijinx!
"The Ghost Breakers" is an excellent comedy

Paulette Goddard is lovely, the young Anthony Quinn is menacing, the mystery is valid, and the sets are wonderfully spooky. Hope is even somewhat heroic in this one, a bit of a change of pace from his usual, comedically cowardly characters. A dash of film noir even shows up early on as a power outage hits New York during a storm (dig that lightning!).

Crime reporter Hope flees to Cuba with Goddard after he mistakenly believes he shot a gangster's henchman in Goddard's hotel. Goddard has inherited a spooky old castle just offshore the island nation, and has received death threats from a mysterious villain. Taking up her cause, the suspicious Hope (and his unwilling servant), sets out to solve the mystery and bust the ghosts. Along the way, the rest of us are busting out laughing.

The thin-skinned among us may not care for some of the pre-PC dialog, but those with intellect enough to put things in context will not be upset by some of the more dated wisecracks.

Also included on the disc is "Hollywood Victory Caravan", a war bond short that is kind of a condensed version of "Star-Spangled Rhythm", another Hope film available in this DVD series. A young lady needs to get to Washington to see her wounded brother just back from the battlefield, but the only train that can take her is tied up with a War Bond rally. Naturally she has to sneak into the Paramount lot and ask Bing Crosby for help. As she wanders about the lot trying to avoid a security guard (William Demerest), she runs into such notables as Barbara Stanwyck and Alan Ladd. When she meets with the sympathetic Bing (after enjoying a Gershwin number performed by Carmen Cavallero and His Orchestra), Crosby and Hope get things worked out for sister and brother. The short also features a patriotic speech by Humphrey Bogart, and a wrap-up number by Crosby.

A second inclusion is a condensed and edited-down edition of "Command Performance" with Judy Garland and Lana Turner doing walk-ons (Lana gets in a good zinger on Hope that leads to some ad-libbing by the comedian).

To round things out the disc includes a short documentary on Hope's USO work ("Entertaining the Troops"), production notes, bios, and the film's trailer.

An excellent all-around package for Hope fans! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Marlene Dietrich purrs through sexy songs, and Jimmy Stewart succumbs to her sultry, androgynous ways in this seminal Western with more than a touch of comedy. He plays your average nice guy who turns out to have something special up his sleeve when confronted by a gang of bad guys. He tames the banditos and wins dance-hall girl Dietrich's heart with his nonviolent ways. You may think you have seen this before, and most likely you have. Based on the 1930 novel by Max Brand, the plot has been copied repeatedly. However, this atmospheric 1939 delight stands far above its imitators. This is the movie in which Dietrich, wearing full saloon-gal regalia, sings, "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have." It was remade with Audie Murphy in 1954 as Destry, but that version lacks the charisma provided by Stewart and Dietrich. --Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Marlene Goes Out West
It's hard to imagine Marlene Dietrich starring in a Western, but oddly enough it works - and it works well. James Stewart stars as Tom Destry, the son of a famous lawman, who is brought into an out of control town to restore law and order. One look at the tall, gangling boy scout has everyone laughing at the folly of it. Among those laughing is tough saloon singer Dietrich, who's opinion of him soon changes. Destry Rides Again mixes comedy with typical Western action, and does so to good effect. Both Stewart and Dietrich are great in tailor-made roles. Dietrich is famous for singing the "Boys in the Backroom" song, and I must confess I don't understand why her singing is so well remembered, other than to politely say that it is certainly unique. Mischa Auer is very funny in a supporting role as one of Stewart's sidekicks, and Dietrich has a well staged and memorable cat fight with Una Merkel that is a highlight of the film. Fans of the stars or the Western genre will want to check this film out, since it is unusual, well made, and a real classic.

Another Great Film Produced in 1939
In DESTRY RIDES AGAIN Jimmy Stewart is an easygoing deputy sheriff trying to clean up a corrupt frontier town without much help from his drunken boss. The movie has everything. It has action, suspense, comedy, romance and at least one very memorable song by Marlene Dietrich who plays a dance hall singer. Charles Winninger is the alcoholic sheriff and Brian Donlevy owns the dance hall which spawns most of the trouble in the area.

Marlene Dietrich is the sparkle which makes this film far superior to most other westerns and she is the reason it will remain a classic for a long time. A strong supporting cast includes Samuel S. Hines, Jack Carson, Mycha Auer and Allen Jenkins.

The movie received no Oscar nominations undoubtedly because of the stiff competition provided by its numerous first-class competitors in 1939 such as GONE WITH THE WIND. George Marshall also directed YOU CAN'T CHEAT AN HONEST MAN starring W.C. Fields in that same year.

DESTRY RUNS INTO TROUBLE ON DVD!
"Destry Rides Again" is a five star, ten gallon hat of an adventure that casts gangly James Stewart as the unassuming Marshall of a lawless town. At first, Tom Destry's unassuming good nature pegs him as a push over amongst the criminal element in the neighborhood, as well as by the spurious ladies of the evening, fronted by the erotic intercontinental harlot, Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich). However, very soon Destry begins to reassert his power as the law of the land - a pivotal epiphany that leads to violence and death. There's also some great comedy to be had - particularly in a scene in which Destry decides to cool Frenchy off - literally, by soaking her with some ice water. Dietrich's rendition of "See What The Boys In The Backroom'll Have" proves why she was the toast of Berlin cabarets for many years before coming to Hollywood. The forgotten Mischa Auer co-stars as Boris - a simple-minded philanderer in a comedic subplot, who gets his comeuppance in the end. Jack Carson, Una Merkel and Charles Winninger also give credible performances.
THE TRANSFER: The genuine disappointment is that Universal doesn't quite understand they have a winner in this film. The transfer is so terribly marred by fading, age related artifacts and a poorly balanced print that there is very little to recommend this film on DVD. Contrast levels appear under exposed during night scenes and slightly over exposed elsewhere. There's a glaring and distracting amount of film grain present throughout the transfer that really distracts from the visual style and performances. Fine detail is lost in most scenes. Rarely does the quality of this disc surpass mediocrity. The audio is mono and fairly presented, though the critical ear will note distortions present.
EXTRAS: As usual for Universal classics - NONE!
BOTTOM LINE: This film should be seen because it is a gem among westerns - just not in its current condition!

Amazing movie...good picture, lousy horrible sound
Everything that others have said about the quality is this fine Western satire is true. Amazing movie. Problem here is on a standard TV, the sound is unlike any other Universal DVD title I own: horrible tinny, hallow and echoey unacceptable sound.

Someonje really screwed up during the mastering process. (I have checked two copies and they are both hallow sounding...)

More than brilliant!!!
With 2 entertaining couples (Dietrich-Stewart & Merkel-Auer), 2 excellent actors (Donlevy & Winninger), a very good supporting cast, all directed by one of the best (George Marshall) with a perfect mix of seriousness and fun with (more than) a touch of self-derision, my only wonder is how could anyone (including Marshall) think they could get a remake to be worthwhile, and how come it does not rank in the top 10 of the genre: 7 years before 'My Darling Clementine', it showed much more invention and acting??? ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Finally it is available!
I have been looking for this movie for more than 30 years. My parents made me go to bed before it was over, and it never played on television again (in at least the next 20 years, I know for sure. The last ten I haven't seen much television. It was a wonderful,lighthearted, funny film packed with the most amazing cast of stars. Thanks for carrying it!

Wonderful musical acts; dull story
It's hard to assign a star value to a movie like this. Lovers of 1940s musical productions will love the variety acts with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Spike Jones, the acrobats, and even the harmonica band. (Spike's zany production number is written into the story line with wonderful results: the band's soloist has no idea the nature of Spike's band, and is bewildered why the audience is laughing during her singing. The story itself that ties the musical numbers together, however, is silly and deadly dull: "I Love Lucy" type pranks without any of Lucy's endearing charm. Fortunately, there are LOTS of production numbers! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

LUCY GOES WEST.
Jagger stars as an evil Indian agent stationed in the Arizona Territory who bilks the redskins for all they're worth. Craig plays the handsome government agent sent to clean house by posing as a renegade Indian scout in order to get the goods on Jagger. While playing cat-and-mouse, both men romance Christine Larson (Ball), the lovely restaurant owner whom Craig eventually wins over...This fair 1942 western was initially promoted via advertisements as a massive outdoor epic on a par with 1930's CIMARRON upon release & unfortunately, the resulting product was just another mediocre and at times frankly dull Western which will appeal mostly as a curiousity for fans of Lucille Ball. Decent cameo performances by Billy Gilbert as the Justice of the Peace and Tom Tyler as Geronimo himself help keep the film somewhat interesting, however. Colour photography would have been an advantage here.

An RKO blockbuster.
James Craig stars as Indian scout Jonathan, whose pro-Native American sentiments do not rest well with crooked civilian Indian agent Jim Sawyer played by Dean Jagger, who intends to benefit from an impending tribal uprising. Court-martialed on a trumped-up charge by Sawyer, Jonathan escapes the stockade with the help of a friendly sergeant and rides off to Washington DC, hoping to forestall an all-out Indian war. En route, he makes the acquaintance of Sawyer's snooty fiancee Christine played by Lucille Ball, forcing her into a marriage for plot reasons too complicated to go into here. The film gets serious towards the climax, when the fate of the protagonists falls into the hands of level-headed Indian chieftan Cochise played by Antonio Moreno and his hotheaded rival Geronimo played by Tom Tyler. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Old Time Radio stars brought to the screen!
I've been a long time Edgar Bergen fan, and was delighted with his performance in this comical movie, "You Can't Cheat an Honest Man". I had never seen W.C. Fields on the screen before, and was also pleasantly surprised by his outragous antics (his hat bit is wonderful). For anyone looking for a good laugh, or a movie for the whole family (litterally-Grandpa & Grandma will remember them, and the children will be introduced to them), this is a great movie to buy or rent.

A True Classic, Honest
This is a truly classic comedy featuring W.C. Fields and Edgar Bergen. Fields plays circus proprietor Larson Whipsnade. His circus is not a blazing success, and Whipsnade and company are on the run from the law and on the lam from creditors. Despite all, Whipsnade has managed to keep his son and daughter in college. As the story begins, Whipsnade's son is urging his sister to marry a fellow student who is wooing her. The suitor is from a wealthy family and Whipsnade Jr. sees the marriage as a way to improve the Whipsnade family fortune. Unfortunateley, sis isn't in love with the boy. Instead, she falls for Bergen, who works in dad's circus.

I suppose, if you like Fields but not Bergen, you might think there is too much Bergen & company in this movie and not enough of Fields. Then, again, a Bergen fan might make the opposite argument. Personally, I find them both hilarious. The plot here is rather thin, but the comedy is non-stop. Of course, Whipsnade can't stand Bergen, and Charlie McCarthy is a constant thorn in his side. Similarly, the idea of Whipsnade as Bergen's father-in-law is more than Charlie can take. Both Fields and Bergen get in some classicly funny scenes. Add in a couple of cameo appearances by Mortimer Snerd, a whole load of one-liners, and you one of the best comedies ever filmed.

Too Much Bergen and McCarthy - Not Enough Fields
W.C. Fields' "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man" (1939) is a rather schizophrenic affair. As Larson E. Whipsnade, Fields remains his old inimitable self -- whether playing high-society ping pong or getting hosed by a circus elephant. However, when Fields is off-screen for long stretches, the film becomes an Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy vehicle and drags terribly. Though the Fields-McCarthy radio "feuds" have become classics, they do not translate nearly as well in cinematic form. With the exception of a brief reunion in "Song of the Open Road" (1944), it's easy to see why there never was a Fields-Bergen encore on the big screen. "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man" certainly has its moments of hilarity, but a little more Fields would have helped.

time and psychology
When I was a child growing up in the fifties, this was one of my favorite Fields movies. The fact that Edgar Bergen was a wretched ventriloquist and even worse actor never bothered me. My attention was bound to Charlie and Mortimer. But now as I watch it, it is Edgar's character that bothers me more than anything else. Here is a guy who leaves his position as a college professor not simply to follow his dream as a ventriloquist in the circus, but to hide away in a air baloon with his dummy. If he was there just to practice away from the noise and clatter of the circus, one might be able to understand it. But Edgar's character is so flat and colorless that one senses that he is only hiding out from the world with the only vehicle through which he is capable of communicating with the outside world. One can only hope that he is unable to catch the chariot in the end. Still... Fields is brilliant. It is really he who carries the film. One could wish there was more of Rochester who is always clever and fun.

Clever, Quick, and Funny!
This is definatly W.C. Fields at his finest. While the plot maybe is not so great, all of the comedians bring this light hearted comedy to the highest expectations. Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergen are at their mischevious, cleverest best. Recommended for anyone who loves old comedies. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Buddies William Holden & Glenn Ford fight over Claire Trevor
William Holden and Glenn Ford team-up in this 1941 western directed by Geroge Marshall. The pair play Dan Thomas and Tod Ramsey, a couple of Confederate veterans who journey to Texas via Kansas to get into the cattle business. When they come upon a stagecoach holdup the pair end up robbing the bandits. After this pivotal experience Tod goes straight, working for rancher "Mike" King (Claire Trevor), while Dan ends up a cattle rustler. Not only are they on opposite sides of the law, they both end up in love with the lady. When Tod takes the herd to Abeline, Dan is supposed to head him off and steal the herd, thereby setting up the dramatic climax.

What makes "Texas" an interesting film is that it brings a sense of humor to the story. In fact, some people thought the film went so far as to be some sort of spoof or burlesque of the western genre, but I do not think it really goes that far. Yes, it is a bit tongue-in-cheek at times, but the relationship between the two guys is done straight up and that is the heart of the film. "Texas" is not a classic western, but it is certainly above average. Claire Trevor has top billing, but she does not have all that much to do, which is surprising given her role in 1939's "Stagecoach." Interestingly enough Holden and Ford teamed up again seven years later in "The Man From Colorado," so that would be the obvious suggestion for a double-bill. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The Perils of Pauline
I recieved this order in a fast and timely fashion but the Video tape is no good. It does not work at all.

Another chance to see Betty Hutton shine!
Once again, Betty Hutton plays a show girl whose talent overshadows her grouchy, envious boyfriend, making him cold and rejecting. (A device also used in "The Stork Club" and "Annie Get Your Gun"...) This time, she portrays silent movie actress Pearl White, star of the popular "Perils Of Pauline" cliffhanger serial adventures... The role is mainly dramatic, and though Frank Loesser is the film's songwriter, Hutton only gets in two good numbers before the schmaltz sets in. But what doozies they are! "Rumble Rumble Rumble," about an upstairs neighbor who plays the piano all night long, is a charming novelty song. Hutton's comedic inflection is better on the studio version (heard on Capitol's "Spotlight" collection), but it's a gas seeing her singing it live on film. She also really seems to enjoy herself a lot on "Papa Don't Preach To Me," a full-on dance number with a legion of smoothies in top hat and tails whirling her around... Hutton positively beams as she closes the number, knowing that she nailed the take, hands down. The film itself is a straightforward melodrama and once again her leading man, John Lund, plays a guy who is a real pill (...those uptight '40s "real men" characters really bug me somehow). The ending, in which a recently paralyzed Pearl still manages to rush to the train station to meet her man, is as preposterous as the Pauline serials the movie satirizes. Still, the film does give a nice glimpse at the early, early, early years of Hollywood, and the ramshackle, seat-of-their-pants production style of the one-reeler studios, and the film's scenes, which play with the transition of film from silent to sound, are pretty clever. Also, check out William Demarest as the grouchy director who makes White a star -- a role that was tailormade for his talents. Not the greatest film ever, but it has its charms.

The Perils of Paulijne
I have not seen all of her films but abt. 3 or 4 and it is the worse film I saw - sorry I bought it and bought it only after good reviews from yr customers - cause I love Betty Hutton. Tastes varie I guess -after seeing Annie get yr gun etc. She was dead in this film. She is enegetic and robust and in my opinion the best in these kind of roles no others. Nor placed in roles sugar sweet romantic without any backbone.

About the DVD
This is a good buy, provided you love Betty Hutton. Otherwise, you might be greatly frustrated by her extremely physical and robust comedy style. She is about as sincere on screen as Carmen Miranda, Red Skelton and Danny Kaye put together, but never as graceful as Lucille Ball, let alone some of the drawingroom comediennes of the period. The quality of the DVD transfer is so-so, basically not bad, but never anything like the restored Gone With The Wind. There are no extras.
I can't escape the feeling that this film could have been so much better, since it at its best comes (subjectwise) close to "Singing in the Rain", but in spite of all the action and (unnecessary) drama sequences, this still is ONLY a Miss Hutton vehicle.

A whopping barrelhouse of a show!
Betty Hutton does it again! In one of her very best films, Hutton portrays silent film star Pearl White in a highly fictionalized and romanticized account of White's career. Beginning with her early days as a seamstress, to her tagging along with an amateur theatre group to the famed "Perils of Pauline" series, Hutton is so much fun to watch as her energetic performance steals scene after scene. White has romantic pangs for an uptight actor (John Lund) whose affections go unreturned until film's end, providing the show with a trademark musical happy ending. And what a songbook! Betty is great with her upbeat, staccato "Bob-bin' and bob-bin' and bob-bin" to the rhythm of a sewing machine, and the whole film is worth the boisterously delightful "Rumble, rumble, rumble" which Betty performs with gusto atop a piano. And she is charming with her sad romantic ballad, "I Wish I Didn't Love You So". If you're a Betty Hutton fan, or if you just love a great laugh or a great show, "The Perils of Pauline" is well worth every cent! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One of the great comedies of all time.
Hollywoods best comedy writers of the period collaberated and came up with a Bob Hope vehicle unmatched in his career.Lots of fun and hearty laughs throughout.Classic cast. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

greta and romantic comedy
"It Started with a Kiss," is a must see for romantic comedy fans. Debbie Reynolds is greta as the loving but spendthrift wife of Glenn Ford. Their marriage has it's ups and downs. It's packed with romance comedy, and some touching moments. Debbie Reynolds is very pretty in it and believable as Glenn Ford's wife. It's lot sof fun to watch, as both spouse's have affairs and ocme back together in the end. It's very believable.

Off Beat Comedy with Debbie Reynolds
I don't know which movie that other guy was watching, but it was obviously NOT It Started With A Kiss. This movie is the story of a suffering soldier who married a girl (Reynolds) who has ambitions of granduer in every regard, and when they win a souped up sportscar in a raffle, they have Governments, Internal Revenue, and a bullfighter chasing them to possess it. Besides Reynolds there is also one of the Gabor sisters, as well as other recognised actors of the period. It is off-beat, but if you like Reynolds, its a must! (Definately not her worst film!)

Classic BW love story during Berlin airlift + real footage
This classic black and white film is an intriguingly original and often humorous love story about an American pilot who falls in love with an eloquent German woman during the Berlin airlift. The pilot's cynical buddy, who suffered greatly at the hands of the Nazis in WWII, tries to dissuade his friend from falling for this "Kraut" but to no avail. The film contains many insightful and thought provoking comments on the nature of WWII, the USA, democracy, the Germans, and love itself. Although not a 5 star flick of the calibre of "The Third Man" this film has many similar flickers of genius and a clever twist.

Edward Deskur ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Rare? Yes. Classic? No.
I'm a huge fan of early thirties pre-code musicals but it almost goes without saying that there's even approaching not enough of them available on DVD.

So you'd think this would be a must-have purchase for any lover of art-deco cinema, especially considering the movie's pedigree (long thought lost, last remaining print, rare example from a studio whose back catalog is mostly long since disappeared).

Well - from a purely scholarly point of view it's fairly interesting; in that it's very different from Warners, Paramount or MGM musicals from the same era. It also features a comedy double act (Mitchell & Durant) whose clumsy knockabout slapstick looks so primative to be virually neanderthal (think of Anthony Quinn & Alan Ladd doing a poor imitation of Laurel & Hardy and you'll be close.). Alice Faye is very cute, but given very little to do except emote, plus early on she's asked to do a specific imitation of Jean Harlow (fair enough, Fox were marketing her as their version of the Platinum Blonde, but did they have to be SO blatantly obvious?).

Essentially it's 42nd Street in a studio, with a paired down cast and production values two steps up from a poverty-row production. There's only two proper musical numbers and both are under-rehearsed and unimpressive. You will not be humming the choons/tunes after watching this.

DVD quality is fair, there's some deterioration, but it's the best you'll ever see considering it's the only surviving print. No extras to speak of, except some fun trailers for 50s sci-fi and monster movies.

Although I applaud the fact that a rare musical is, after nearly 70 years once more available to the public, I'd much rather have any number of pre-code musicals available on DVD (any of the Gold-Diggers movies for example) or perhaps some of the long unseen Clara Bow vehicles from her Fox era. It would also be much more preferable to see such Alice Faye vehicles as the original George White's Scandals.

365 Nights in Hollywood fun while it lasts, but with it's forgetable supporting cast and lacklustre production "it just don't cut the mustard". Won't keep you coming back for more and certainly not recommended for those unfamiliar with this era of film-making. I suggest they check out some Busby Berkeley movies, even if it does mean getting them on - gasp! - VHS!!

Alice Faye just starting out.
This was Alice's 4th film and in it she does seem alittle un-at -ease still. She plays the part of Alice Perkins an aspiring movie star who enrols at the acting school run by J. Walter Delmar who is only interesting in lining his pockets with ill-gained money. Mananging to obtain some money from a naive rich lad he engages as been producer James Dunn playing Jimmy Dale to produce a new show. To cut a long story short he makes a hit and makes Alice a star and falls in love with her. Alice comes alive when she does her two big production numbers. The first "Yes to You" sees her with twelve chorus boys and dressed very alluringly in a black sequined dress. The second, "My Future Star" sees Alice with a chorus of girls and the film's star James Dunn acting the part of a producer who cannot decide what mold to put Alice as Alice Perkins in - Jean Harlow, Mae West or Lupe Veles. Alice was now becoming noticed and her reviews were favourable. I love Alice in all her pictures as to me she can't do wrong but it is a collectors item and if you over-look the peroxide hair and the pencil thin eyebrows and the rather amateurish acting you will find a film well worth buying and then compare this new girl to the wonderful star she became. it is a good film and I certainly recommend it. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The Perils of Pauline
I recieved this order in a fast and timely fashion but the Video tape is no good. It does not work at all.

Another chance to see Betty Hutton shine!
Once again, Betty Hutton plays a show girl whose talent overshadows her grouchy, envious boyfriend, making him cold and rejecting. (A device also used in "The Stork Club" and "Annie Get Your Gun"...) This time, she portrays silent movie actress Pearl White, star of the popular "Perils Of Pauline" cliffhanger serial adventures... The role is mainly dramatic, and though Frank Loesser is the film's songwriter, Hutton only gets in two good numbers before the schmaltz sets in. But what doozies they are! "Rumble Rumble Rumble," about an upstairs neighbor who plays the piano all night long, is a charming novelty song. Hutton's comedic inflection is better on the studio version (heard on Capitol's "Spotlight" collection), but it's a gas seeing her singing it live on film. She also really seems to enjoy herself a lot on "Papa Don't Preach To Me," a full-on dance number with a legion of smoothies in top hat and tails whirling her around... Hutton positively beams as she closes the number, knowing that she nailed the take, hands down. The film itself is a straightforward melodrama and once again her leading man, John Lund, plays a guy who is a real pill (...those uptight '40s "real men" characters really bug me somehow). The ending, in which a recently paralyzed Pearl still manages to rush to the train station to meet her man, is as preposterous as the Pauline serials the movie satirizes. Still, the film does give a nice glimpse at the early, early, early years of Hollywood, and the ramshackle, seat-of-their-pants production style of the one-reeler studios, and the film's scenes, which play with the transition of film from silent to sound, are pretty clever. Also, check out William Demarest as the grouchy director who makes White a star -- a role that was tailormade for his talents. Not the greatest film ever, but it has its charms.

The Perils of Paulijne
I have not seen all of her films but abt. 3 or 4 and it is the worse film I saw - sorry I bought it and bought it only after good reviews from yr customers - cause I love Betty Hutton. Tastes varie I guess -after seeing Annie get yr gun etc. She was dead in this film. She is enegetic and robust and in my opinion the best in these kind of roles no others. Nor placed in roles sugar sweet romantic without any backbone.

About the DVD
This is a good buy, provided you love Betty Hutton. Otherwise, you might be greatly frustrated by her extremely physical and robust comedy style. She is about as sincere on screen as Carmen Miranda, Red Skelton and Danny Kaye put together, but never as graceful as Lucille Ball, let alone some of the drawingroom comediennes of the period. The quality of the DVD transfer is so-so, basically not bad, but never anything like the restored Gone With The Wind. There are no extras.
I can't escape the feeling that this film could have been so much better, since it at its best comes (subjectwise) close to "Singing in the Rain", but in spite of all the action and (unnecessary) drama sequences, this still is ONLY a Miss Hutton vehicle.

A whopping barrelhouse of a show!
Betty Hutton does it again! In one of her very best films, Hutton portrays silent film star Pearl White in a highly fictionalized and romanticized account of White's career. Beginning with her early days as a seamstress, to her tagging along with an amateur theatre group to the famed "Perils of Pauline" series, Hutton is so much fun to watch as her energetic performance steals scene after scene. White has romantic pangs for an uptight actor (John Lund) whose affections go unreturned until film's end, providing the show with a trademark musical happy ending. And what a songbook! Betty is great with her upbeat, staccato "Bob-bin' and bob-bin' and bob-bin" to the rhythm of a sewing machine, and the whole film is worth the boisterously delightful "Rumble, rumble, rumble" which Betty performs with gusto atop a piano. And she is charming with her sad romantic ballad, "I Wish I Didn't Love You So". If you're a Betty Hutton fan, or if you just love a great laugh or a great show, "The Perils of Pauline" is well worth every cent! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Highly entertaining/unusual-in-a-good-way Jimmy Stewart film
"Pot O' Gold" is a Jimmy Stewart film I watch repeatedly and I'm glad I'm not the only one who has heard of it. This film has been released so many time on VHS, and by all never-heard-of studios. United Artists released it to theaters at the time. Why didn't MGM buy the rights to the film years after? Great story about a struggling musician trying to save his father's music store. His notrious health-food obsessed uncle tries to pull Jimmy Haskell (Stewart) into the the health-food business. He meets a beautiful lady singer (Paulette Goddard) who with her other sister sing a band which her brother Willie plays in, and her mother runs it. When Molly McCorckle (Goddard) learns that Jimmy's uncle is the notorius C.J. Haskell, she becomes upset about it. She thinks of him as a trickster, and as a result, in a radio program she announces Jimmy will give away $1000 in cash to someone. Jimmy is faced with a tough decision: how to give away the money. If he doesn't, he coul be fined and imprisoned. After many tries, he thinks up a way. He'll give it away by telephone. The winner, when they call them up, is speechless and so is his wife. Mrs. McCorckle, C.J., Jimmy, and Molly all reunite on the radio program in a triumphant-sounding finale.
The sound could be better, but an excellent film to enjoy anytime. Upbeat!

Madcap comedy meets musicals
As a big fan of James Stewart, I just had to see him in this classic musical. He is as good as ever, fighting against cruel big business and standing up for the little man, which in this case is a boarding house band. The swing music is fantastic, James Stewart's harmonica playing and occasional singing is excellent, the plot is remarkably coherent, and the whole film is absolutely hilarious. In this film, madcap comedy meets classic musicals.

Harmonica scenes
Jimmy Steward has taken a lot of time to be able to play the harmonica as if he actually is the one who is playing the instrument. The actual player is Jerry Adler, brother of Larry Adler. Jerry taught Jimmy how to handle the harmonica. All scenes are superbly done. Jerry's playing is immaculate. The harmonica band dubbings were done by the Cappy Barras, who also performed in "Mad about Music" with Deanne Durbin. Both movies are recommended! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Highly entertaining/unusual-in-a-good-way Jimmy Stewart film
"Pot O' Gold" is a Jimmy Stewart film I watch repeatedly and I'm glad I'm not the only one who has heard of it. This film has been released so many time on VHS, and by all never-heard-of studios. United Artists released it to theaters at the time. Why didn't MGM buy the rights to the film years after? Great story about a struggling musician trying to save his father's music store. His notrious health-food obsessed uncle tries to pull Jimmy Haskell (Stewart) into the the health-food business. He meets a beautiful lady singer (Paulette Goddard) who with her other sister sing a band which her brother Willie plays in, and her mother runs it. When Molly McCorckle (Goddard) learns that Jimmy's uncle is the notorius C.J. Haskell, she becomes upset about it. She thinks of him as a trickster, and as a result, in a radio program she announces Jimmy will give away $1000 in cash to someone. Jimmy is faced with a tough decision: how to give away the money. If he doesn't, he coul be fined and imprisoned. After many tries, he thinks up a way. He'll give it away by telephone. The winner, when they call them up, is speechless and so is his wife. Mrs. McCorckle, C.J., Jimmy, and Molly all reunite on the radio program in a triumphant-sounding finale.
The sound could be better, but an excellent film to enjoy anytime. Upbeat!

Madcap comedy meets musicals
As a big fan of James Stewart, I just had to see him in this classic musical. He is as good as ever, fighting against cruel big business and standing up for the little man, which in this case is a boarding house band. The swing music is fantastic, James Stewart's harmonica playing and occasional singing is excellent, the plot is remarkably coherent, and the whole film is absolutely hilarious. In this film, madcap comedy meets classic musicals.

Harmonica scenes
Jimmy Steward has taken a lot of time to be able to play the harmonica as if he actually is the one who is playing the instrument. The actual player is Jerry Adler, brother of Larry Adler. Jerry taught Jimmy how to handle the harmonica. All scenes are superbly done. Jerry's playing is immaculate. The harmonica band dubbings were done by the Cappy Barras, who also performed in "Mad about Music" with Deanne Durbin. Both movies are recommended! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The first feature film to be photographed and projected in the panoramic three-camera Cinerama process, this epic Western is almost as expansive as the West itself, chronicling a pioneering family's triumphs and tragedies in numerous episodes spanning three generations and a half century of westward movement. Divided into five segments directed by veteran Hollywood filmmakers Henry Hathaway, George Marshall, and the legendary John Ford (and including uncredited sequences directed by Richard Thorpe), the film was one of the most ambitious ever made by the venerable MGM studio. Its stellar cast reads like a virtual who's who of Hollywood's biggest stars. Debbie Reynolds plays a sturdy survivor of many pioneering dangers, and the eventual widow of a gambler (Gregory Peck), who is later reunited with her nephew (George Peppard), a Civil War veteran and cavalryman who heads for San Francisco as the transcontinental railroad is being built. Many more characters and stories are woven throughout this epic film, which is dramatically uneven but totally engrossing with its stunning vistas and countless outdoor locations in Illinois, Kentucky, South Dakota, Monument Valley in Arizona, California, Colorado, and elsewhere. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (55)

Not made for the small screen
Like IMAX films released on dvd...what's the point? This was made for the biggest movie screens ever conceived.

I was lucky to see this film a few years ago in genuine 3-strip CINERAMA on an archival print from the original release. On the big screen it's an amazing experience. The uneven story fades away when one is viewing the spectacular cinematography. CINERAMA captured vast scenes in incredible richness and detail. It's an experience like no other.

On the small screen at home you mainly notice the technical flaws, the borders between the three separate images, and also the dated 1960's Hollywood "Old West" story. (Carroll Baker's makeup is never smudged, even when tilling the soil.) The first two segments are the best dramatically.

One aspect that is still great at home is the magnificent score by Alfred Newman. So save your money, buy the soundtrack, and head to Seattle, LA, or England or where ever you can find an exhibition of the real CINERAMA.

America's own "Triumph of the Will" -- Leni would be proud!
In a remarkable coincidence, the same day I saw "How the West was Won" at the Seattle Cinerama (03/01/03), the History Channel aired a program on the history of the wheel. One of the talking-head experts opined that the wheel's invention marked a fundamental change in human thought -- not only was there a technological solution to every problem, but nature could be bent to human will, forced to reveal her secrets and serve us.

This is the theme of "How the West was Won." It starts with the title, and extends to nearly everything in the film. The narration tells us that the land had to be wrested from nature and from the "primitive people" who inhabited (and by implication, infested) it. The chorus is continually singing about how "we're headed for the promised land" and those who are willing to work hard will be richly rewarded (except the Chinese railroad laborers, of course). We were justified in overrunning the continent because we are actually "doing something" with it -- as opposed to the Indians, who merely lived there in harmony with nature. Not having invented the wheel, they saw no further possibilities.

James Webb's script acknowledge the culture clash between the Americans and the native peoples, recognizing that the latter will have to eventually change or be destroyed. But this is peripheral to the celebration of the industry, hard work, and sacrifice of the Americans, who "tamed" the wilderness. The film ends with a nausea-inducing flyover of the California freeways (I sat next to a guy who'd taken Dramamine in anticipation of such scenes), followed by a flight under the Golden Gate bridge, firmly and unambiguously driving the point home.

"How the West was Won" is social propaganda, plain and simple. It's the kind of film that could change Osama Bin Laden's mind about destroying the US. (Maybe the State Department could arrange a screening...)

As a movie, there's no denying "How the West was Won" is wildly entertaining. Simply as cinematic spectacle, it works magnificently. There are films (such as "2001" and "Lawrence of Arabia") that even the finest video transfer cannot do justice to, and this is one of them. Sitting in the first few rows, you're so close to the screen that you can't take in all of it at once. When the camera tracks into a scene, the sense of physical motion is uncanny. (Can you say "stimulation of peripheral vision"? Sure you can.) And if you haven't seen a buffalo stampede, or a train crash, or a row of cannons firing in sequence on a (roughly) 30' by 90' screen -- well, you haven't lived, cinematically-wise.

Story-wise, there's so much material to cover the script cannot begin to do it justice, even in a film lasting 2½ hours. Characters are more types than individuals, and almost every performer is cast to type. (Eli Wallach, in particular, gets to do his "crazy Mexican outlaw" shtick, though without an accent.) It's only the efficiency and focus of the script that keeps the actors from looking altogether foolish. Other than (perhaps) Karl Malden, no one gives what would be considered a "real" performance.

The plot (which follows the Prescott family and its descendents over 50 years) is concocted to make Debbie Reynolds' character the sort of farm girl who wants to run off to the big city to become rich, so we're treated to several (mercifully brief) song-and-dance numbers. Her sister is played by Carol Baker, who falls head over heels in love with Jimmy Stewart's "aw-shucks" mountain man, and later "tames" him (as the film's conceit requires). The rest of the film rehashes just about every cliché of westerns and Civil War movies -- though entertainingly. The final sequence posits the "conquest" of the West as occurring when "the law" (in the form of George Peppard's marshall) arrives, to establish justice. But Peppard -- who says he wants to bring the bad'un to justice in court -- shoots him to death, anyway.

My five-star rating acknowledges this is a classic film -- not necessarily a great one.

I can't pass up the opportunity to trash Pauline Kael, who was not so much a hard-nosed-but-movie-loving critic as she was an empty-headed, loudmouthed [female canine]. Note how she uses the artistic limitations of a single sentence to craft a thoughtful, insightful commentary that will help the reader better understand this film...

"'How the West Was Lost' would be a more appropriate title for this dud epic, since, as conceived by the writer, James R. Webb, the pioneers seem to be dimwitted bunglers who can't do anything right."

Hello? Were we watching the same movie? "How the West was Won" might be politically incorrect, dramatically shallow, and little more than agit-prop -- but it's no dud. The Seattle audience -- which included many people sporting "No Iraq War" buttons -- just ate it up. "How the West was Won" is Hollywood middlebrow-populist entertainment at its best.

One final question... Where did they find a stunt man who looked like Agnes Moorhead?

Wake me when it's over
I kind of figured television was responsible for this... movie. HOW THE WEST WAS WON dvd comes with a featurette on the making of the movie, in which we learn that the movie studios developed the Cinerama process (three cameras shot the movie which was projected onto three specially designed screens. Think IMAX) to present an alternative "viewing experience" to compete with television.
Watching this on television, even in a letterbox edition, is excruciating. There are visible bars where the three screens meet. Often the color in one screen doesn't jibe with that of the adjoining screen.
Those defects could be corrected by digital manipulation, I suppose, but what's the point? The Cinerama screen was meant to wrap around the audience and a television screen is flat. What can't be corrected is the lack of close-ups and a surplus of dead space.
Almost all the action takes place in the center panel, and the closest we get to the action is in a medium shot. Most of the time there's nothing happening on the edge panels. Two-thirds of the screen is dead. The only time Cinerama seemed to shine was when chaotic action was swiftly coming at the audience, which is why we are so often treated to onrushing trains and galloping horses and stampeding buffalo shot from a camera in the ground. I think it would have taken a visual genius the likes of a Busby Berkeley to exploit Cinerama's potential without having to open the paddock.
The featurette also tells us HTWWW had a cast of 12,000. I guess maybe a dozen of them weren't miscast, but that's just a guess. The movie opens with Jimmy Stewart, out of character as mountain man Linus Rawlings, canoeing along a river while Spencer Tracy narrates over the action: '(The land) known only to the lonely trappers wandering its vastness in search of beaver...' One and a half scenes later Linus skids his bark next to the Prescott campsite and gives Carroll Baker a pelt to stroke....
Okay. I was bored. What can I say? At least I was paying attention. When Debbie Reynolds delivers a rousing rendition of 'Raise a Ruckus' for the despondent members of the wagon train I wasn't paying much attention at all. By the time Eli Wallach was glaring daggers at George Peppard's kids I was wondering whether or not one should fill in that little hole in the middle of a dvd when you make it into a coaster.

Middling story and atrocious transfer
I like westerns. My favorite entries in the genre are spaghetti westerns, those cheap, ultra low budget Italian takes on the American West. I always try to fit some of these movies into my viewing schedule, and when the day came where I considered it time to watch Sergio Leone's epic "Once Upon a Time in the West," I headed out to rent it. Imagine my surprise when I got home and saw that I inadvertently checked out "How the West Was Won" instead. I scratched my head, not familiar at all with the title. After all, I like westerns but I don't know a lot about the genre or the films I have yet to see. When I saw the cast list for this 1962 movie, I decided not to take it back without watching and seeing if I liked it. I think I would be remiss to have skipped this one on initial impression alone; the cast list reads like a "who's who" of mid twentieth century Hollywood. You've got Carroll Baker, Lee J. Cobb, Agnes Moorehead, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, George Peppard, Debbie Reynolds, Eli Wallach, John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Walter Brennan, Karl Malden, Carolyn Jones, Harry Morgan, Raymond Massey, and Robert Preston filling the roles. Spencer Tracy voices the narration. Howard Hawks and John Ford directed specific segments of the film. What a list of talent! Couldn't go wrong with a movie like this one, right? Wrong.

As amazing as it seems, "How the West Was Won" is not a very good experience. The movie runs for an eternity as it attempts to describe the different experiences in settling the American West. At the beginning of the film, the Prescott clan heads out to the West in search of farmland and a new beginning. Zebulon Prescott (Karl Malden), his wife Rebecca (Agnes Moorehead), and two daughters Eve (Carroll Baker) and Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) travel down the recently completed Erie Canal and travel out into what Illinois or Missouri. Along the way, they encounter a traveling fur trapper named Linus Rawlings (Jimmy Stewart), who stays with the family for a day or so, just long enough to fall in love with one of the daughters. After Zeb and Rebecca perish in an unfortunate rafting accident, Rawlings reemerges to take care of Eve and eventually establish a farm at the sight of the accident. These two will have children-one named Zebulon Rawlings (George Peppard)-who will eventually fight in the Civil War. Zeb Rawlings then leaves the family property to his brother as he moves further west fighting Indians for the railroads and working as a law officer. He ends up thwarting a nasty train robbery in Arizona some fifty years after his grandparents expired on that raft.

The other daughter, Lilith, ends up in St. Louis working as a dancer and actress when she learns that she inherited a gold mine in California. As she prepares to head west, a slick card shark named Cleve Van Valen (Gregory Peck) convinces Lily to take him along. There's a minor competition for Lily's affections between Van Valen and Roger Morgan (Robert Preston), another guy on the wagon train. The gold mine doesn't pan out in the end, so Lilith and Cleve end up falling in love and marrying, eventually going on to build and lose several huge family fortunes. Of course, Lily's travels to the coast are fraught with perils, such as an Indian attack on the wagon train and a song and dance number at a campsite. I kept hoping the filmmakers would insert a Donner Party type situation that would require Gregory Peck to consume either Robert Preston or Debbie Reynolds, but no such luck. In any event, the movie seems to focus more on the Rawlings clan than it does on Lily's experiences.

Sadly, many of the great actors in the movie rarely appear. Raymond Massey plays Abraham Lincoln, John Wayne and Harry Morgan are General William Tecumseh Sherman and General Ulysses S. Grant respectively, and Lee J. Cobb is a Marshal in Arizona. Even Eli Wallach as an outlaw is a ghostly shadow of the villain he played in Leone's "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." The huge cast list highlights the central problem of the film, namely that the filmmakers tried to do too much. Very few of the characters we see receive proper development. The focus here is on shock and awe photography and scenery, not the individuals taking part in the events. "How the West Was Won" was the first film shot in Cinerama, and, I think, a prime example of how Hollywood abuses a new technology. We see the same thing going on today with the CGI effects in those top-heavy special effects bonanzas. Everyone wants to use a new cinematic technique, so much so that they rely solely on the effect and lose sight of the human element. A bit less spectacle and a lot more interaction between the cast would have helped this movie succeed.

I hate to say it, but the DVD version of this film could use a lot of work. You can literally see the two lines dividing the picture into three segments in the transfer. Not only is this enormously annoying, it's completely unacceptable. I can't believe the studio techs couldn't release a seamlessly restored version of this film. The disc does contain a short documentary detailing the Cinerama process along with a few bits about the stunts in the film, but the shoddy picture quality of the movie will dampen your enthusiasm for any extras. I imagine some people would like the actual movie better than I did though no one should settle for the poor transfer. I suggest waiting for a special edition disc.

Needs a better format, anamorphic
I saw the film in LA, at the original Cinerama, in the original
showing. This film is not going to be right until shown in
HDTV (HD-DVD), but for Pete's sake, why letterbox ?

What a trashy way to treat this classic. Stick a crowbar in your
wallet and spring for an anamorphic release. When the HD-DVD with
proper restoration shows up, I'll buy a copy of that, not