Amazon.com

Except for feature-length animation, the musical has gone the way of the dinosaur. The Walt Disney company took a stab at reviving the live-action musical in 1992 with Newsies, a throwback picture with a curious subject. In 1899, the pint-sized newsboys delivering the New York papers go on strike against the unfair practices of news magnates Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. The production is heavy on kiddie humor, although Christian Bale (the child star of Spielberg's Empire of the Sun) is charismatic as one of the older leaders of the revolt. The adult stars don't fare as well, with Robert Duvall doddering around as Pulitzer and Ann-Margret and Bill Pullman doing decorative duty. The film was not well received when first released, but hindsight reveals its charm (and allowed the young target audience to catch up with the picture on video). The first-time director is Kenny Ortega, the choreographer of Dirty Dancing, who brings plenty of energy to the action. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (494)

Simply in the wrong place at the wrong time
The world was not ready for a return to the days of the movie-musical when "Newsies" was released in 1992. A box-office flop, it has quickly risen to cult classic status with fans everywhere. Newsies is based on the true story of the New York newsboys' strike of 1899. Granted, Disney is guilty of "improving the truth a little", but doesn't any musical, where people break out in spontaneous song and dance, require one to put reality aside for a while? This film tells the tale of the newsies, led by tough, street-smart Jack Kelly (Christian Bale) and intelligent, reasonable David Jacobs (David Moscow), who form a union when Joseph Pulitzer (Robert Duvall) ups the price of newspapers from fifty to sixty cents a hundred. The street children - with names like Racetrack (Max Casella), a compulsive gambler who steals many scenes with his wisecracks - are aided by a newspaper reporter named Brian Denton (Bill Pullman). Together the unlikely company endures many troubles, including run-ins with the police and their leader's betrayal, throughout the strike. The actors are believable as poor orphans and runaways during the turn of the century, and one look at any of them shows that they've poured their heart and soul into this movie. The lack of depth in some characters - especially Sarah (Ele Keats) and Medda Larkson (Ann-Margret), roles that serve no discernable purpose other than sex appeal - is my only qualm with the film. Looking past that and the many continuity errors (some of which are actually quite amusing), this is a highly enjoyable movie for the entire family to share. Not a masterpiece, but plenty of entertainment!

Extra! Extra! See All About It!
An uplifting story portraying the greatest accomplishment children have made in our entire lifetime. Well directed by Kenny Ortega with amazing choreography (Kenny Ortega/Peggy Holmes) with amazing music by Alan Menken and creative lyrics by Jack Feldman. This motion picture has a wonderful cst including stars such as Robert Duvall (Joeseph Pulitzer), Ann-Margret (Medda Larkson), and Christian Bale (Jack Kelly). Other actors in this film include David Moscow, Aaron Lohr, Max Casella, Gabriel Damon, Luke Edwards and many more.
Set in 1899, this courageous group of newsboys from New York City, organize with other newsies from all to take on the most powerful man in New York City, newspaper giant Joeseph Pulitzer, to make their dreams come true. Through all the difficulties, the boys stay srong and become unlikely heroes by challenging the powerful.
After seeing it in my history class, i soon became a big fan and have researched everything from the actors to the acrual story. this motion picture gives accurate information and is fun for the whole family.

Newsies Rocks my Sox!
Wow. This movie has got to be one of the best ever. I was visiting a friend in St. Louis who had gone to a musical camp, and they watched it there, and she made her mom go out and get it for us. We watched it 5 times! It really is that good. It's got great singing and dancing, an awesome story line, catchy songs, and plus it's based on real events. And Christian Bale is sooooo cute! If you haven't seen it yet, go rent it NOW!

NEWSIES IS THE BEST!!!!! I love this movie!
Well, if you didn't already read my title NEWSIES IS THE BEST! And I love it. It's a great story about friendship and sticking up for what you believe in. Plus, it's Christian Bale and David Moscow...how can you go wrong with those two! I love the singing and dancing too. If you love the music as much as I did I suggest you buy the soundtrack because it's awesome! I'm telling you girls, if you have a bad day, pop this movie in and watch it. I mean it's a bunch of cute boys singing and dancing...it works everytime. I recomend this movie to anyone who likes musicals, boys, and great Disney magic. Watch it...trust me. It's probably one of my favorites movies of all time! If your cool you won't regret it.

Newsies
I love the Newsies....if your into musical's this is a must see! ... Read more

Description

You're in for a devil of a time when three outlandishly wild witches -- Bette Midler (BEACHES, BIG BUSINESS), Sarah Jessica Parker (HONEYMOON IN VEGAS), and Kathy Najimy (SISTER ACT) -- return from 17th-century Salem after they're accidentally conjured up by some unsuspecting pranksters! It's a night full of zany fun and comic chaos once the tricky 300-year-old trio sets out to cast a spell on the town and reclaim their youth -- but first they must get their act together and outwit three kids and a talking cat! Loaded with bewitching laughs, HOCUS POCUS is an outrageously wild comedy that's sure to entertain everyone! ... Read more

Reviews (105)

A Fun Halloween or Anytime Movie, One of the Best.
Three aged witch sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) are brought back to life after three hundred years when a teen virgin taking his little sister (Thora Birch) trick-or-treating scoffs at a local legend and lights a black flame while trying to impress a girl.

It is light-hearted and fun but a little scary for a Disney flick as the witch sisters must find children and suck the life from them to regain their own youth.

Good vehicle for Midler and Parker as the bumbling witches wisecrack their way through an action-filled Halloween night. Ten-year-old Thora Birch (American Beauty, Ghost World) is typically witty and very cute.

Some themes are a bit racy for a Disney feature and very young children might find some scenes a bit scary, but these are what help make this movie entertaining for the whole family. It's Halloween fun.

Any witch way you slice it...Hocus Pocus is fun!
I never understood the negative reviews for Hocus Pocus. We went to the theatre anyway and thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Bette Midler is hammy, yes, but it's Bette! She's playing a beaver-toothed, child chasing 17th century witch in a Disney flick. What else is there but hammy?! Kathy Nijimy, with her Dairy Queen hair and lopsided grin, is a hoot. And Sarah Jessica Parker, the curvaceous, third sister, does Sex In the City...Salem-style! (stictly PG of course!) Thora Birch has yet to reach her brooding, raven-haired American Beauty stage, so she's still adorable! And to top it off, there is Zachary Binx, the talking black cat...an obvious inspiration for Sabrina, the Teenage Witch's Salem! My seven-year-old daughter loves this movie! I finally purchased the video today (we had been holding out for a DVD release) to save myself the video rental fees! If you're not a "serious student of film" and can sit and watch and just enjoy a fun movie...rent Hocus Pocus for a test drive...and then buy it!

Glorious For Anyone Who Loves Halloween
If you grew up where I grew up, Halloween was THE biggest event of the year - and all these (45) years later, I still love the sights, smells and spirit of that most magical night.

In Hocus Pocus, you might not find true horror, blood and guts, body parts and roaming zombies (um, wait...), but you do feel the gorgeous allure of the season through the crunchy-leafed scenery, the equisite set design, costuming, innocence of youth and the somewhat corny (if not over-acted) witchy zeal of the wonderful Sanderson sisters. Okay, the plot wouldn't win a Pulitzer Prize, but for sheer fun and enjoyment, let Hocus Pocus transport you to a time and place where witches ruled and moms still impersonated Madonna in cone cupped bustiers. PS: Did I mention I have my own black cat named Zachary Binx?

Disney wrost movie.
This movie shoud be on MST3000.

"This are my three ugly sisters."

"She flying a what?"

"You she her this moring."

It's time to run a-muck!
I, personally, find this movie to be hilarious. The acresses are great and very funny. The whole cast is great. The story is very funny as well. ... Read more

Description

Starring Academy Award(R)-winner Robert Duvall (Best Actor -- TENDER MERCIES, 1983) and screen favorite Ann-Margret, here's the true story of a courageous group of newsboys who become unlikely heroes when they team up to fight an unscrupulous newspaper tycoon. Determined to make their dreams come true, they find the courage to challenge the powerful! Critically acclaimed from coast to coast -- if you're looking for must-see, feel-good entertainment, NEWSIES delivers! ... Read more

Reviews (494)

Simply in the wrong place at the wrong time
The world was not ready for a return to the days of the movie-musical when "Newsies" was released in 1992. A box-office flop, it has quickly risen to cult classic status with fans everywhere. Newsies is based on the true story of the New York newsboys' strike of 1899. Granted, Disney is guilty of "improving the truth a little", but doesn't any musical, where people break out in spontaneous song and dance, require one to put reality aside for a while? This film tells the tale of the newsies, led by tough, street-smart Jack Kelly (Christian Bale) and intelligent, reasonable David Jacobs (David Moscow), who form a union when Joseph Pulitzer (Robert Duvall) ups the price of newspapers from fifty to sixty cents a hundred. The street children - with names like Racetrack (Max Casella), a compulsive gambler who steals many scenes with his wisecracks - are aided by a newspaper reporter named Brian Denton (Bill Pullman). Together the unlikely company endures many troubles, including run-ins with the police and their leader's betrayal, throughout the strike. The actors are believable as poor orphans and runaways during the turn of the century, and one look at any of them shows that they've poured their heart and soul into this movie. The lack of depth in some characters - especially Sarah (Ele Keats) and Medda Larkson (Ann-Margret), roles that serve no discernable purpose other than sex appeal - is my only qualm with the film. Looking past that and the many continuity errors (some of which are actually quite amusing), this is a highly enjoyable movie for the entire family to share. Not a masterpiece, but plenty of entertainment!

Extra! Extra! See All About It!
An uplifting story portraying the greatest accomplishment children have made in our entire lifetime. Well directed by Kenny Ortega with amazing choreography (Kenny Ortega/Peggy Holmes) with amazing music by Alan Menken and creative lyrics by Jack Feldman. This motion picture has a wonderful cst including stars such as Robert Duvall (Joeseph Pulitzer), Ann-Margret (Medda Larkson), and Christian Bale (Jack Kelly). Other actors in this film include David Moscow, Aaron Lohr, Max Casella, Gabriel Damon, Luke Edwards and many more.
Set in 1899, this courageous group of newsboys from New York City, organize with other newsies from all to take on the most powerful man in New York City, newspaper giant Joeseph Pulitzer, to make their dreams come true. Through all the difficulties, the boys stay srong and become unlikely heroes by challenging the powerful.
After seeing it in my history class, i soon became a big fan and have researched everything from the actors to the acrual story. this motion picture gives accurate information and is fun for the whole family.

Newsies Rocks my Sox!
Wow. This movie has got to be one of the best ever. I was visiting a friend in St. Louis who had gone to a musical camp, and they watched it there, and she made her mom go out and get it for us. We watched it 5 times! It really is that good. It's got great singing and dancing, an awesome story line, catchy songs, and plus it's based on real events. And Christian Bale is sooooo cute! If you haven't seen it yet, go rent it NOW!

NEWSIES IS THE BEST!!!!! I love this movie!
Well, if you didn't already read my title NEWSIES IS THE BEST! And I love it. It's a great story about friendship and sticking up for what you believe in. Plus, it's Christian Bale and David Moscow...how can you go wrong with those two! I love the singing and dancing too. If you love the music as much as I did I suggest you buy the soundtrack because it's awesome! I'm telling you girls, if you have a bad day, pop this movie in and watch it. I mean it's a bunch of cute boys singing and dancing...it works everytime. I recomend this movie to anyone who likes musicals, boys, and great Disney magic. Watch it...trust me. It's probably one of my favorites movies of all time! If your cool you won't regret it.

Newsies
I love the Newsies....if your into musical's this is a must see! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This big, fat theatrical bomb has a lot going for it. There's the three leads, Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, playing three resurrected witches who wreak havoc on Salem, Massachusetts, 300 hundred years after they were hung. There's music, special effects, and magic. There's a surprisingly horror-filled plot. Whoops, hold up on that last one. It's probably the extremes that this film goes to (displaying a Disney label), such as the witches sucking the life out of a little girl in the first five minutes, that put the brakes on any success for Hocus Pocus. Older children, however, in the 8 and up range should get a kick out of all the weird goings-on. It's a good measure of Halloween thrills and chills. --Keith Simanton ... Read more

Reviews (105)

A Fun Halloween or Anytime Movie, One of the Best.
Three aged witch sisters (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) are brought back to life after three hundred years when a teen virgin taking his little sister (Thora Birch) trick-or-treating scoffs at a local legend and lights a black flame while trying to impress a girl.

It is light-hearted and fun but a little scary for a Disney flick as the witch sisters must find children and suck the life from them to regain their own youth.

Good vehicle for Midler and Parker as the bumbling witches wisecrack their way through an action-filled Halloween night. Ten-year-old Thora Birch (American Beauty, Ghost World) is typically witty and very cute.

Some themes are a bit racy for a Disney feature and very young children might find some scenes a bit scary, but these are what help make this movie entertaining for the whole family. It's Halloween fun.

Any witch way you slice it...Hocus Pocus is fun!
I never understood the negative reviews for Hocus Pocus. We went to the theatre anyway and thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Bette Midler is hammy, yes, but it's Bette! She's playing a beaver-toothed, child chasing 17th century witch in a Disney flick. What else is there but hammy?! Kathy Nijimy, with her Dairy Queen hair and lopsided grin, is a hoot. And Sarah Jessica Parker, the curvaceous, third sister, does Sex In the City...Salem-style! (stictly PG of course!) Thora Birch has yet to reach her brooding, raven-haired American Beauty stage, so she's still adorable! And to top it off, there is Zachary Binx, the talking black cat...an obvious inspiration for Sabrina, the Teenage Witch's Salem! My seven-year-old daughter loves this movie! I finally purchased the video today (we had been holding out for a DVD release) to save myself the video rental fees! If you're not a "serious student of film" and can sit and watch and just enjoy a fun movie...rent Hocus Pocus for a test drive...and then buy it!

Glorious For Anyone Who Loves Halloween
If you grew up where I grew up, Halloween was THE biggest event of the year - and all these (45) years later, I still love the sights, smells and spirit of that most magical night.

In Hocus Pocus, you might not find true horror, blood and guts, body parts and roaming zombies (um, wait...), but you do feel the gorgeous allure of the season through the crunchy-leafed scenery, the equisite set design, costuming, innocence of youth and the somewhat corny (if not over-acted) witchy zeal of the wonderful Sanderson sisters. Okay, the plot wouldn't win a Pulitzer Prize, but for sheer fun and enjoyment, let Hocus Pocus transport you to a time and place where witches ruled and moms still impersonated Madonna in cone cupped bustiers. PS: Did I mention I have my own black cat named Zachary Binx?

Disney wrost movie.
This movie shoud be on MST3000.

"This are my three ugly sisters."

"She flying a what?"

"You she her this moring."

It's time to run a-muck!
I, personally, find this movie to be hilarious. The acresses are great and very funny. The whole cast is great. The story is very funny as well. ... Read more

Amazon.com

While Billy sits speechless at ringside, "Theme of Life" (first season, episode 17) gives Ally and Georgia the opportunity to vent their suppressed animosity in a kick-boxing match, and the battering leaves them bruised but closer as friends and colleagues. Meanwhile, Ally defends Greg (Jesse L. Martin), a handsome young doctor who transplanted a pig's liver into a dying woman without securing official permission. A romance begins between him and Ally that will continue in subsequent episodes. Fish is seen on the town with Attorney General Janet Reno (later Whipper confronts him about his obsession with Reno's wattle), and Ally reluctantly visits a therapist (Tracey Ullman) who urges her to choose a lively, danceable "theme song" for her life. While the kick-boxing match is surely a season highlight, this episode is memorable for creator David E. Kelley's seemingly effortless balance of crackling wit and engaging drama. Here we have an episode that's as moving as it is amusing--a quality that gives the series its singular appeal.

A lively round in the battle of the sexes, "The Playing Field" (first season, episode 18), finds Ally returning to the therapist (Tracey Ullman), worried that the "dancing baby" that plagued her in previous episodes has reappeared as a roller-blading hockey player! ("Get him!" advises the counselor.) Continuing the "baby" theme, Ally finds herself pitted against child prodigy Oren Koolie (Josh Evans), a pint-sized 9-year-old attorney whose negotiation strategy consists primarily of crying when he doesn't get his way. Kelley continues to probe the gender gap in a case of harassment via sexual exclusion, the outcome of which causes a tempest of fury in the office, with Ally and Georgia confronting Fish over his backward theories of gender inequality. All's well that ends well in the closing nightclub scene, where men and women call a truce. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The best "Ally McBeal" from Season 1 is on this tape
This set of episodes from the first season of "Ally McBeal" includes the one that ended up being my personal favorite, Episode 17 "Theme of Life." Written by David E. Kelly, of course, this is the one where Ally (Calista Flockhart) and Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith) go toe to toe in kickboxing class and where Ally tries out "Tell Him" by the Exciters as her theme song, which makes crossing the street on of the great moments in the history of the quirky series. The episode begins with Ally finally giving in to Cage (Peter MacNicol) and visiting his therapist, Dr. Tracy Clark (Tracey Ullman), who offers the sage opinion that kickboxing Georgia is great therapy: "She's a beautiful, smart woman married to the man you love! Smack her!" Meanwhile, Ally's client du jour is the handsome Dr. Greg Butters, who is being sued for offending a patient by performing an operation to save her life (it mean putting a hog liver in her body, which is not strictly kosher). I would say that if you watched one episode of "Ally McBeal" this would be the one to watch, but you sort of have to watch the rest to understand the context of such things as Cage's new smile therapy.

Episode 18, "The Playing Field," also written by Kelley, finds the dancing baby is becoming aggressive (he plays street hockey now). This is not good news for Ally who is defending Dr. Butters from a lawsuit being brought against her new love interest by Oren Koolie, a nine-year-old genius who is practicing law until he is old enough to go to medical school. What can Ally do against a lawyer who cries before he demands $125,000? Meanwhile, Cage/Fish is also representing a woman who is suing her boss because he only promotes women who have slept with him. The title comes from Ally's conversation with Georgia, who once won a sexual harassment case against her old bos (he transferred her because she was beautiful) and complains that she wished she had fought him on an even field: he gave up when she threatened to make a claim. Ally takes this as a sign that she should ignore the sex-role conventions that stop her from speaking first in a romantic relationship. "Playing the Field" is only a notch below "Theme of Life" but has another great moment when Ally makes the mistake of following Dr. Tracy's advice and treating the Dancing Baby like a hockey puck the next time she sees him--or thinks that she does.

Both of these Episodes are Priceless!
In the entire set, this tape offers two episodes that aired almost back to back! They involve Tracy Ullman (hilarious as the therapist) and the early stages of the romance with the doctor! I own all three tapes, and have to say this one is a worthy addition to any collection. What a great way to enjoy this show all over again, or for the first time. ... Read more

Amazon.com

With the premiere of its untitled pilot episode on the Fox network in1997, Ally McBeal arrived as a comedy-drama worth watching. Springing from the observant mind of creator David E. Kelley, the show briskly established its well-cast ensemble of oddballs, legal sharks, neurotics, and semihappy couples in love, lust, or various stages of personality crisis. The pilot instantly sets the tone for the series, introducing Ally (Calista Flockhart), a young Boston lawyer who's just joined a firm where her now-married former boyfriend Billy (Gil Bellows) is also employed. To make matters worse, Billy's wife, Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith), is jealous of Ally's romantic past with her husband (a conflict developed in subsequent episodes), and Ally loses her first case in court. Through all of these emotional crises, this impressive pilot introduces meddlesome legal assistant Elaine (Jane Krakowski); Ally's former classmate and new boss, Richard Fish (Greg Germann), who excuses every tactless remark he makes with the word "bygones"; Ally's hip and headstrong roommate, Renée (Lisa Nicole Carson); and Vonda Shepard as the house singer at the nightclub that provides the show's after-hours pressure valve and watering hole. A slick, engagingly comedic study of human foibles, the pilot gets this popular series off to a rousing start.

"Silver Bells" (first season, episode 11) is a Christmas episode, following an impasse in the relationship between Fish and Judge "Whipper" Cone (series semiregular Dyan Cannon), while Georgia continues to stew when husband Billy confides in Ally over private marital matters. The episode also deepens the platonic affection between Ally and law-firm partner John Cage (Peter MacNicol), who, like Ally, is at odds with being perpetually single. Culminating in a memorable scene during an office Christmas party, this delightful episode conveys series creator David E. Kelley's expert ability to combine humor and melancholy in a way that perfectly captures the personalities of the characters, all of whom reflect some quirky manifestation of human strengths and weaknesses. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The pilot episode for "Ally McBeal" still holds up
This is certainly an interesting combination of episodes from the first season of "Ally McBeal" given that there is the very first episode, "Pilot," and then the "Christmas" episode, "Silver Bells." In searching for a common denominator the only things I can come up with would be that there is a lot of music in both episodes and the theme of being alone together is clearly present as well.

I tend to collect pilot episodes and so the "Pilot" written by David E. Kelley is of historical importance to me because it is what established the tone for the show. In retrospect, of course, it is interesting to watch this episode again and see how Kelley's vision was quickly refined over the course of that first season. The story of Ally McBeal (Calista Flockhart) begins with an ending as the Harvard Law alumna gets fired by her firm after a lecherous senior partner, Jack Billings, gropes her in the hall and she blows the whistle on him. However, he claims he has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and she ends up losing her job. Ally runs into Richard Fish (Greg Germann), and the joins the firm of Cage and Fish where we discover that Ally's world is not only quite imaginative but small. That is because Billy Thomas (Gil Bellows), Ally's first love not only works there but has a wife. You can tell this show is going to be different becuse Ally takes four arrows in the chest when she learns Billy is married and there are a dozen songs worked into the episode (including "Neighborhood," "Maryland," "Tell Him," and the theme from "Psycho").

In Kelley's "Silver Bells" (Episode 11 for those counting) Ally takes a case of two women and a man who want to have their unique relationship recognized as a legal marriage (one woman gave birth to three children one of which was the fertilized egg of the other). However, as is usually the case on "Ally McBeal," the case resonates with the characters, causing Judge "Whipper" Cone (Dyan Cannon) to yearn for commitment from Richard, while Ally and Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith) are both upset that Billy has been a better love with his wife since his ex-girl friend showed up. Ah, the bitter irony of it all. This episode features the Cage/Fish Christmas party where both Renee (Lisa Nicole Carson) and Elaine (Jane Krakowski) gets to do production numbers and even Fish sings ("More Today Than Yesterday").

Looking back on these episodes what I find most interesting is how Kelley uses legal cases to explore relationship issues. This is obviously truer of "Silver Bells" than the pilot, but in that regards the second episode on this tape is more representative of the series as a whole. You can also see how halfway through the first season the pace of the show had picked up considerably. Everybody has more to say and is saying it faster. Consequently, I am not sure that this is an ideal pairing from Season 1, but I find it insightful. I might have gone with "The Promise" instead of "Silver Bells," although the "Kiss" would be the obvious one to emphasis the Ally-Billy dyad. Since it is not, I kept playing with the idea that this pairing was appropriate until I came up with a rationale that justified the choices. You can decide if the circle gets the square.

If you love Ally, you can't miss it.
Personally among many of Ally Mcbeal series,I prefer Season one.That's why I can't help buying this VHS. This VHS has the begining story of Ally Mcbeal. That is really attractive. Sometimes I wonder how David E. Kelly who is not a woman, can describe the inner feelings of women like this.Unbelievable!
Especially, I like her voice over. It reminds me of Doogies diary in my childhood.
Well, if there is a DVD version, that must be a better choice...

Ally Rocks My World!
First of all, Ally Mcbeal is a brilliant show. I was very upset when Billy left the show and thought it would go downhill from there, but with the addition of Ann Heche, Robert Downey Jr., and Taye Diggs it keeps on rocking! If you love Ally these videos are a must have!

GET THIS NOW! YOU"LL LOVE IT!
Watching these episodes are like watching them for the first time. NO COMMERCIALS AND NO HOLD BARRRED as Alley and rest of the cast display their usual wackinest and sorrow. A sure hit! ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Cro-Magnon" (first season, episode 12) will be remembered by Ally McBeal fans as the "dancing baby" episode, in which Ally--woefully celibate and tortured by the ticking of her biological clock--envisions a strutting, diapered infant who haunts her at home and office. The little tyke's appearance (accompanied by the "ooga-chocka" refrain from the 1970s hit "Hooked on a Feeling") coincides with Ally's obsessive attraction to a well-endowed male model she meets in a sculpting class. A prime example of the series' capacity for frank and hilarious sexual content, the episode finally gives Ally a chance to unleash her pent-up sexual energy (courtesy of the model), while the guys in the law firm are left to ponder if "size really matters." By the final scene, Ally (sporting the flannel pajamas that became a modest fashion trend) has come to terms with her imaginary dancing baby, and the episode closes with the two of them dancing happily together... at least for the time being.

"The Attitude" (first season, episode 7) finds Ally struggling to navigate the stormy seas of romance. She's coping with close proximity to Billy, the former love of her life, and the tension increases when Billy's wife, Georgia, is invited to join the firm of Fish & Cage. While Ally defends a woman (Brenda Vaccaro) who's been wrongfully expelled from her synagogue, Cage takes on Georgia's ex-boss on a sex-discrimination charge. During a disastrous dinner date Ally obsesses over salad dressing on her date's chin, and later she simultaneously offends and attracts the young rabbi who ousted her client, leading Ally to trade her pursuit of "Mr. Right" for more pragmatic dates with "Mr. Not-Likelys." As usual, this episode is blessed with Kelley's rapid-fire dialogue, but it's best remembered for the superbly written scenes between Ally and Georgia, who forge a friendship despite their shared history with Billy. Calista Flockhart and Courtney Thorne-Smith really shine here, making this one of the first season's pivotal episodes. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Ally takes some chances on a trio of Mr. Not Likelys
I keep trying to draw some significance out of the fact that the two episodes from the first season of "Ally McBeal" are shown in reverse order of how they originally aired, but all I can come up with is that the better known episode (where Ally dances with the infamous dancing baby) goes first. Both episodes, written by David E. Kelley, deal with Ally's decision to take some chances on some Mr. Not Likelys instead of waiting for Mr. Right:

"Cro-Magnon" (Episode 12) finds Ally (Calista Flockhart) and Renee (Lisa Nicole Carson) are taking a sculpture class where they discover that Glenn, the male model, is rather "gifted" (they need more clay). Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith) joins the class but it is Ally who actually dates Glenn. Meanwhile, in court our heroine is defending 19-yeard old Clint, who punched out a guy for insulting the virtue of his date and who's cute little behind has become the object of his lawyer's attentoin. The title of the episode comes from Ally's declaration that she likes a little Cro-Magnon in her man. Actually, this episode is one of the more heavy handed ones, with the contrast between the girls oggling the model and the guys watching a prizefight on pay-per-view lacking subtlety.

"The Attitude" (Episode 7) has Ally getting the hots for district attorney Jason Roberts, a colleague of Renee's, who fortunately asks her out before the theme from "Jeopardy" ends. Ally's client this week is Karen Horwitz, who is trying to get Rabbi Joseph Stern to grant her a divorce because her husband is in a coma (the poor guy was hit by a bus before he obtained a "get," the formal Jewish divorce decree). Ally cannot get the rabbi to change his mind, but she does get another offer for a date.

I would not label either of these as classic Ally McBeal episodes, but they are certainly representative of Ally's love life in Season 1, before things became increasingly bizarre in Season 2. I would have paired up "Cro-Magnon" with the follow up episode, "The Blame Game," where Ally and Renee take vengeance on Glenn by giving him "the penguin," but that is just my impulse towards narrative completeness.

These are the two best Ally McBeal episodes
I have the DVD box set thing, and it has these two episodes, and they are the strongest. So if you don't want to spend all the money that the box set costs, you can buy this. ... Read more