Amazon.com

The dreamy voice doesn't seem to fit the scrawny young fellow singing-- but this was precisely the early appeal of the young Frank Sinatra. He, and TheVoice, are on agreeable display in this low-key MGM musical, with Frankie castas an ex-GI ecstatic at returning to the greatest place on earth. Where else butBrooklyn? The 1947 movie is on nobody's short list of great MGM efforts, and itfeels cobbled together from different projects. Sometimes it's a Jimmy Durantecomedy, sometimes it's a showcase for snub-nosed Kathryn Grayson's coloratura(she does bits of Lakmé and Don Giovanni), and toward the end itbecomes a fundraiser for a local boy who wants to be a pianist--a bizarredistraction from the romantic triangle of Sinatra, Grayson, and Peter Lawford(whose talent resides in Durante's comment, "He has a very fine command of theEnglish language"). Best tune: Ol' Blue Eyes crooning the lovely "Time AfterTime." --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great film!
This film is great and a must see. Great for all Katheryn Grayson fans It's romantic funny and enjoyable to see each time. I highly recommend it.

Sinatra Sings Mozart?
Indeed he does (La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni) with Kathryn Grayson, and quite gracefully too. This unique duet is worth the price of admission, but in addition you get loveable Jimmy Durante, an icon of vaudeville and early television (where ARE those shows?), and charming Peter Lawford, Kennedy in-law and Rat Packer-to-be! The plot is indeed forgettable, but the highlights make it worthwhile.

Bronx cheer for "Brooklyn"
This is a movie whose time has past. Unlike its contemporary "This Time for Keeps" (also starring Jimmy Durante) this one is stale. It's a relic from the post-WW II years with a script as pedestrian as they get. If you want to see the best this movie has to offer, see "That's Entertainment." The clip there of Durante and Sinatra is all this tired black and white musical has to offer.

greeeeaaaatt
a must for any new yorker or sinatra fan. ps. great musical # by peter lawford ... Read more

Amazon.com

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

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

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

Reviews (15)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews (15)

Inspired Musical Numbers Will Appeal to Musical Fans
Jerome Kern died while MGM's bio-pic TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY was still in the pre-production stage--and while Kern had been more than willing for MGM to tell all, his estate was considerably more reticent. In order to avoid any legal issues, MGM scrapped their original intentions, wrote up a fluffy script that bore little similarity to Kern's life, and crammed the film with every musical star available in a non-stop series of drop-dead-stunning production numbers. The result may be extremely bad biography, but leading man Robert Walker and co-star Van Heflin keep the sentimental story moving--and the musical numbers are piled on top of each other so quickly that one doesn't really question it. The film opens with a lengthy montage from SHOWBOAT, Kern's innovative masterpeice, that features knock-out performances from Lena Horne, Katheryn Grayson, and Virgina O'Brien and then quickly seques into a series of star-solos that feature June Allyson, Gower Champion, Cyd Charisse, Angela Lansbury, Dinah Shore, and Frank Sinatra.

Along the way we are also treated to an extended cameo by Judy Garland, performing "Look For The Silver Lining" precisely as Marilyn Miller played it on stage and singing "Who?" to a staircase of chorus boys--which Garland was said to find most amusing, considering that she was pregnant at the time. Also notable is Lucille Bremer in the role of Robert Walker's stage-struck ward; although her star quickly faded, Bremer is an attractive performer and shows her talent for song and dance here by teaming with Van Johnson for a spirited version of "I Won't Dance." TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY will not appeal to most casual viewers, for the story line and script are much too weak. But musical fans will love this one all the way from Lansbury doing a Cockney "Spoon With Me" to Sinatra belting out "Old Man River." As a Jerome Kern song-and-dance fest, the movie can't be beat, and it should have a place in every musical fan's collection.

Colorful and musical.
I own both a VHS and a DVD copy of this film, and oddly enough, the VHS tape yields a much clearer, more colorful picture! Go figure. The film is a wonderful study, not of a biography proper (it's often reported that the script was highly fictionalized), but of a top-flight execution of a musical. And if you're any kind of musical afficionado (and over 30), you'll enjoy the innovative ways this film stuffs so many stars into one motion picture- from Judy Garland as real-life Kern star Marilyn Miller, to the various stage pieces featuring Angela Lansbury, Ray McDonald, June Allyson, Tony Martin, Kathryn Grayson, Lucille Bremer, Van Johnson, and a BRUNETTE Dinah Shore singing "The Last Time I Saw Paris." And five of the singers- Grayson, Martin, Virginia O'Brien, Lena Horne, and Caleb Peterson- are magnificent in a mini-production of "Show Boat." (Interesting sideline: though it is only a small cameo, the gorgeous Horne is obviously performing the role of the mulatto singer Julie- a role she hoped to play in the actual "Show Boat" film. She was even approached by Broadway producers to do a revival of the show, but MGM would not allow it. Her striking essay of "Can't Help Lovin' That Man-" in her own fair skin and piercingly beautiful eyes- makes one wonder what might've been.) Blink and you'll miss Gower Champion dancing with Cyd Charisse. Sneeze and you'll miss Esther Williams signing autographs.

GREAT BAWULS OF THUNDAH!!!!
This poor stepchild of a movie ......saw it barely as an infant centuries ago and mama was not impressed by the length [got a bit of a whipping for staying out too late that time] ..... then years later in a 3rd world country in a musty little cinema with locals barely understanding what was going on - movie broke down a few times - gunshots from the projectionist's booth ..... [!]

HOWEVER, this DVD print is DREADFUL [but it IS CHEAP] and upon occasion - somewhere towards the end in a non-crucial moment, the same happens ... we don't decode .... cheap stuff!

CAN ONLY HOPR THAT SOMEONE RESTORES THIS ONE TO FULL DOLBY 5.1 and CLEANS UP THE NEGATIVE>

WHY? Well, there's LENA HORNE as the doomed JULIE singing "Can't Help Loving dat Man of Mine" in "Showboat" [looking spectacular in Egyptian II a shade developed especially for her by Max Faxtor - alas in the full lenth Miss Ava Gardner inherited the skin tone from Factors]. However, this is just ONE of the reasons to get this DVD .....there's also Judy Garland, Angela Lansbury, Van Johnson, old blue eyes Frank, Cyd Charisse, Eather William and a truckload of stellar talent.

It's a lavish production - very lavish - currently snubbed by this poor version - but destined to be resurrected in spelndor [please?]

Footnote ...Whatever Happened to LUCILLE BREMER? She's a pivot character in this saga, looks and dances great - especially with Van Johnson [wow!]

Pity - ah, but that's Hollywood.....

just filling in the gaps and fixing to watch this soon
[from the sleeve] "Star-studded musical biography of Jerome Kern with great song numbers featuring some of MGM's finest talent: Robert Walker, Judy Garland, Dinah Shore, Van Johnson, Lena Horne, Cyd Charisse, Frank Sinatra, Angela Lansbury, Tony Martin & June Allyson." 1946, Color, 135 minutes

Good movie - Bad DVD Transfer
While this film may not have the most exciting plot, one cannot deny the great production values of the musical numbers thanks to the Arthur Freed Unit. Judy Garland's numbers are top notch, along with the rest of them. Unfortunately, this film must have slipped into public domain, and the company who picked up the rights to doing a DVD print are not sticklers for quality! Since Warner Brothers now has the MGM library, if the DVD doesn't say Warner Home Video on it, you may want to get the VHS version instead. :-) Hopefully, sometime in the future, Warner Brothers will get the rights back to do a DVD, and get it done in nice crystal clear mastering. Then I can go out and re-buy it. Arther Freed musicals are a "must have" on DVD! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Granny wants to serve kangaroo and ostrich for supper
Volume 6 of "The Beverly Hillbillies" collection offers a pair of episodes in which Granny (Irene Ryan) mistakes some big city animals for the critters she knows back home. First up, Episode 52, "The Giant Jackrabbit" (January 8, 1964) sees an escaped kangaroo and starts telling Jed and the rest of the family that she has seen the biggest jackrabbit in the world. They will not believe her, so Granny is determined to catch that jackrabbit and serve it as vittles. This episode features Sharon Tate as Janet Trego. Episode 126, "The Big Chicken" (February 2, 1966) is basically the exact same story except this time Granny is trying to catch an ostrich to cook for dinner. Watching them back-to-back instead of with a two year gap, these episodes are obviously going to seem redundant and repetitive, but then the chief attraction here is Granny and not the varmints.

"Hopping" funny
From the looks of the cover, it looks like it has the episode where Granny finds a kangaroo that escaped from the zoo. She sees the kangaroo, thinking it's a giant jackrabbit, and goes to tell Jed. But by the time he gets there, it's run away, so he thinks Granny is crazy. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Hollywood's 1940s craze for composer biographies did not yield many masterpieces, and Till the Clouds Roll By is one of the weaker efforts in the bunch. Robert Walker tries gamely to suggest the decency of Jerome Kern but is defeated by a sluggish story line pairing him with a crotchety mentor (Van Heflin). As a collection of freestanding production numbers devoted to Kern's songs, however, the movie has appeal. It begins with almost 20 minutes of Showboat (including Lena Horne's plaintive reading of "Can't Help Lovin' That Man") and the hits just keep on coming. Judy Garland, who appears in a few scenes as stage star Marilyn Miller, contributes "Look for the Silver Lining" and a Gatsby-esque production number on "Who?" Her songs were staged by then-hubby Vincente Minnelli. Other highlights include a young Angela Lansbury, still with baby fat, singing "How'd You Like to Spoon with Me?" Lucille Bremer, a leggy starlet who never quite caught on, plays Kern's protégé. She spins a delightful duet with Van Johnson on "I Won't Dance," two redheads capering with gusto. It all ends with another splashy theatrical montage, climaxing in Frank Sinatra's take on "Ol' Man River." That might sound like a strange idea, but Ol' Blue Eyes clearly loves the song (he would return to it often in his career) and is in beautiful voice. Despite being a lavish MGM production, Till the Clouds fell out of copyright and into the public domain, so print quality (and even running time) can be variable. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Inspired Musical Numbers Will Appeal to Musical Fans
Jerome Kern died while MGM's bio-pic TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY was still in the pre-production stage--and while Kern had been more than willing for MGM to tell all, his estate was considerably more reticent. In order to avoid any legal issues, MGM scrapped their original intentions, wrote up a fluffy script that bore little similarity to Kern's life, and crammed the film with every musical star available in a non-stop series of drop-dead-stunning production numbers. The result may be extremely bad biography, but leading man Robert Walker and co-star Van Heflin keep the sentimental story moving--and the musical numbers are piled on top of each other so quickly that one doesn't really question it. The film opens with a lengthy montage from SHOWBOAT, Kern's innovative masterpeice, that features knock-out performances from Lena Horne, Katheryn Grayson, and Virgina O'Brien and then quickly seques into a series of star-solos that feature June Allyson, Gower Champion, Cyd Charisse, Angela Lansbury, Dinah Shore, and Frank Sinatra.

Along the way we are also treated to an extended cameo by Judy Garland, performing "Look For The Silver Lining" precisely as Marilyn Miller played it on stage and singing "Who?" to a staircase of chorus boys--which Garland was said to find most amusing, considering that she was pregnant at the time. Also notable is Lucille Bremer in the role of Robert Walker's stage-struck ward; although her star quickly faded, Bremer is an attractive performer and shows her talent for song and dance here by teaming with Van Johnson for a spirited version of "I Won't Dance." TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY will not appeal to most casual viewers, for the story line and script are much too weak. But musical fans will love this one all the way from Lansbury doing a Cockney "Spoon With Me" to Sinatra belting out "Old Man River." As a Jerome Kern song-and-dance fest, the movie can't be beat, and it should have a place in every musical fan's collection.

Colorful and musical.
I own both a VHS and a DVD copy of this film, and oddly enough, the VHS tape yields a much clearer, more colorful picture! Go figure. The film is a wonderful study, not of a biography proper (it's often reported that the script was highly fictionalized), but of a top-flight execution of a musical. And if you're any kind of musical afficionado (and over 30), you'll enjoy the innovative ways this film stuffs so many stars into one motion picture- from Judy Garland as real-life Kern star Marilyn Miller, to the various stage pieces featuring Angela Lansbury, Ray McDonald, June Allyson, Tony Martin, Kathryn Grayson, Lucille Bremer, Van Johnson, and a BRUNETTE Dinah Shore singing "The Last Time I Saw Paris." And five of the singers- Grayson, Martin, Virginia O'Brien, Lena Horne, and Caleb Peterson- are magnificent in a mini-production of "Show Boat." (Interesting sideline: though it is only a small cameo, the gorgeous Horne is obviously performing the role of the mulatto singer Julie- a role she hoped to play in the actual "Show Boat" film. She was even approached by Broadway producers to do a revival of the show, but MGM would not allow it. Her striking essay of "Can't Help Lovin' That Man-" in her own fair skin and piercingly beautiful eyes- makes one wonder what might've been.) Blink and you'll miss Gower Champion dancing with Cyd Charisse. Sneeze and you'll miss Esther Williams signing autographs.

GREAT BAWULS OF THUNDAH!!!!
This poor stepchild of a movie ......saw it barely as an infant centuries ago and mama was not impressed by the length [got a bit of a whipping for staying out too late that time] ..... then years later in a 3rd world country in a musty little cinema with locals barely understanding what was going on - movie broke down a few times - gunshots from the projectionist's booth ..... [!]

HOWEVER, this DVD print is DREADFUL [but it IS CHEAP] and upon occasion - somewhere towards the end in a non-crucial moment, the same happens ... we don't decode .... cheap stuff!

CAN ONLY HOPR THAT SOMEONE RESTORES THIS ONE TO FULL DOLBY 5.1 and CLEANS UP THE NEGATIVE>

WHY? Well, there's LENA HORNE as the doomed JULIE singing "Can't Help Loving dat Man of Mine" in "Showboat" [looking spectacular in Egyptian II a shade developed especially for her by Max Faxtor - alas in the full lenth Miss Ava Gardner inherited the skin tone from Factors]. However, this is just ONE of the reasons to get this DVD .....there's also Judy Garland, Angela Lansbury, Van Johnson, old blue eyes Frank, Cyd Charisse, Eather William and a truckload of stellar talent.

It's a lavish production - very lavish - currently snubbed by this poor version - but destined to be resurrected in spelndor [please?]

Footnote ...Whatever Happened to LUCILLE BREMER? She's a pivot character in this saga, looks and dances great - especially with Van Johnson [wow!]

Pity - ah, but that's Hollywood.....

just filling in the gaps and fixing to watch this soon
[from the sleeve] "Star-studded musical biography of Jerome Kern with great song numbers featuring some of MGM's finest talent: Robert Walker, Judy Garland, Dinah Shore, Van Johnson, Lena Horne, Cyd Charisse, Frank Sinatra, Angela Lansbury, Tony Martin & June Allyson." 1946, Color, 135 minutes

Good movie - Bad DVD Transfer
While this film may not have the most exciting plot, one cannot deny the great production values of the musical numbers thanks to the Arthur Freed Unit. Judy Garland's numbers are top notch, along with the rest of them. Unfortunately, this film must have slipped into public domain, and the company who picked up the rights to doing a DVD print are not sticklers for quality! Since Warner Brothers now has the MGM library, if the DVD doesn't say Warner Home Video on it, you may want to get the VHS version instead. :-) Hopefully, sometime in the future, Warner Brothers will get the rights back to do a DVD, and get it done in nice crystal clear mastering. Then I can go out and re-buy it. Arther Freed musicals are a "must have" on DVD! ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Wonderful
A STAR IS BORN is the story of an innocent young woman who rises to fame in Hollywood. Her movie star husband helps her get started in her career while he is already on the skids because of his alcoholic behavior. Besides telling a great yarn the film also provides a candid expose of the movie industry before World War II. Janet Gaynor and Fredric March are superb in the leading roles. The strong supporting cast includes Adolphe Menjou, May Robson, Andy Devine and Lionel Stander.

Janet Gayner actually retired not too long after this movie and did only occasional acting later in life. She had been very active in Hollywood during the 1920's and 1930's. Director William Wellman directed many other good films including PUBLIC ENEMY.

It is difficult for to choose between this movie and the 1954 version starring Judy Garland and James Mason. They are both wonderful.

A STAR IS BORN received Oscars in 1937 for Best Original Story and Color Cinematography. Its numerous Academy Award nominations were for Best Picture, Director (William Wellman), Actor (Fredric March), Actress ( Janet Gaynor), Screenplay and Assistant Director (Eric Stacey).

The Originals Are Always the Best!
I don't understand why anyone would prefer the later remakes to this version, which is so far superior as to be incomparable to the later attempts. Who could be better than Fredric March? Of course it was a bit bizarre for him to play a fading star when in reality he was in the Hollywood limelight. I felt this version had so much more depth and story to it, without the multitudinous songs or the shallow world of musicals to interfere.

I'm not sure really what to say about this except that it's very very good and I think you and everyone should see it at least once. My favourite moments... in the cafe where Fred drinks raw egg while Janet impersonates various movie stars at another table. And at the preview of their first film together, they kiss for a LONG time, and Janet shrinks down blushing into her chair. There are others, just can't remember them at the moment. And the last part is very touching of course. Loved how Grandma couldn't take the bright lights.

I liked the producer better in this one than the Garland version as well. He seemed to have more character and wasn't so goony looking.

The colour quality of the video is admittedly terrible, but I have heard that the DVD version is a restored one and much better and easier to watch. I have not seen it myself to compare for certain.

Well, I've said my piece. This is the version to see. Don't bother with the other ones - they can't hold a candle to this one.

Tragic, unforgettable love story
The 1937 original version of "A Star Is Born" is a moving, observant drama about an aging, fading movie matinee idol, Norman Maine, played by Fredric March, who discovers and marries a struggling young actress, Esther Blodgett, portrayed by the lovely Janet Gaynor.

Norman has a chance encounter with Esther at a concert and then again at a fancy Hollywood party where she is moonlighting as a waitress. He is immediately taken by her natural beauty and sweetness. Norman chooses Esther to be his leading lady in his next movie. When the movie is released, Esther, who is renamed Vicki Lester by the studio, becomes an "overnight" star (that is after she suffers many rejections and near poverty prior to her stardom).

"A Star Is Born" provides a realistic view of the crassness and undeniable glamour of Hollywood. And it examines the fleeting nature of stardom which Hollywood creates and then conveniently and cruelly destroys when a star is no longer viable.

Everything about this movie is first rate in particular the perceptive direction by William Wellman, the smart screenplay by Wellman and Robert Carson, and the uniformly excellent performances by an all-star cast.

March and Gaynor are at their very best giving restrained, yet powerful performances. March's skill as an actor makes the demise of Norman Maine, at the behest of a fickle public and a mostly callous Hollywood establishment, heartbreaking to watch. And Esther's quiet strength and unconditional love and support of her adoring, self-destructive husband are subtly and convincingly conveyed by the gifted Miss Gaynor.

Be sure to stock up on tissues before you see this tragic, unforgettable love story because by its conclusion, your tears will be profuse. I guarantee it.

THIS IS THE 1.......
This is the original... The best.... It has a great feel of the Hollywood that was... Gaynor and March are great. I love u Judy - but THIS is THE classic film of the often-told-story... Judy is a class act, but HER film was/is not a classic.

BUY IT FOR GOODNES-SAKES hehehe:)(:

This KINO print is excellent!
I went ahead and bought this VHS edition from KINO, and I must say it is THE BEST print of this film to be found. I discovered Fredric March in 2002, and in one year collected over 54 of his films. During this time, I bought 2 other VHS versions of A STAR IS BORN; the first one was horrible...scratchy sound, the mouths didn't match with the words, blurry and washed out color. The second one was a bit better, color not so good, but at least the movement of their mouths was in step with the soundtrack. I really enjoy this film, and wanted to find a better print. This KINO print will not disappoint! It is superb...while the color is not like what you will see today, it is very very good. I was so impressed; what a pleasure it is to see a film almost as it looked originally in 1937.

I mainly wanted to share the news that this is an excellent VHS (I called KINO, and they said they don't know that they will ever put it on DVD...too bad, but I think I have seen bootleg DVD's taken from this KINO print on ebay.) This video is well worth the money due to the wonderful quality.

Many have already stated their opinion on this film. I greatly admire Fredric March and he did such a good job portraying Norman Maine. I liked Janet Gaynor's performance as well. It is fun to see some of the famous Hollywood locations in these early days. It is a good story...nice to see a wife sticking by her man through the good times and bad. Nice to see how she honors his name and memory at the end of the film. Nice to see that she didn't sit and have a pity party about how horrible a husband Norman was. She was of beautiful character...you especially see this when at the Academy Awards, and he accidently slaps her face, she just takes his hand and calmly walks with him back to the table. Later that evening, at home, Norman (March) is passed out drunk in a chair, and we see Esther(Gaynor) kneeling before him, still in her gown, with her Oscar lying on the floor beside her, taking off his shoes. What love and devotion and lack of selfishness is portrayed in that one simple scene... We know her heart was hurting; none of this was easy for her.

I know many people just adore the Judy Garland version. I have seen it, and my main problem was I thought there was too much singing ( I am not fond of musicals), and I also felt Judy looked too old and weary for the part. You could see this in her eyes. She lacked the youthful innocence Gaynor had. Now if Judy had done it when she was younger...but this is only my opinion.

I prefer this 1937 version, and if you do as well, this KINO print is THE ONE to watch and to own. ... Read more

Description

The episodes included are:

Spur Line to Shady Rest

Please buy my Violets ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Out of My Time
I'm 20 years old and hooked on Petticoat Junction. My mother got me into it a few years back and I've watched it every day and night since then. I have a huge poster adorning my wall and other great memorabilia. I recently recieved this video and absolutly loved it. Escpecially all the old commercials which I've obviously never seen before. Every eposide is new to me and it is a joy to watch. Betty Joe and Steve 4ever!

memory lane
I purchased this video here on Amazon and already had these two episodes in my "classic tv collection", but having them with the commercials from when I was growing up truly brings back a whole lot of memories. Yes, you can get these two episodes else-where without commercials, but that is part of the word "CLASSIC", the commercials add that special something. And the price was great. So "Ride the little train that is rollin' down the track to the Junction......" you know the rest.

Amazon forgot this info...
Anyone who is interested in Petticoat Junction videos may already have these particular episodes, which seem to be a couple of the easiest to obtain. The two (2) episodes on this tape are:

Spur Line to Shady Rest, and

Please buy my Violets.

They are plenty good, but, I bought the video without knowing what was on it. The Amazon discription leaves this data out. For $4.60, I took a chance, and as it turns out, I already have these particular episodes. You may, also.

A Great Nostalgic Presentation
Marathon Music and Video has gotten hold of the original television masters of these two premiere episodes of the Paul Henning classic PETTICOAT JUNCTION. Part of Paul Henning's 'Hooterville Trio',which also comprised of THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES and GREEN ACRES, it told of Kate Bradley (Bea Benederet) and her three lovely daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo and Betty Jo, who lived at the Shady Rest Hotel.

Also included are the original commercials that accompanied the episodes and it is a great addition to any classic television video collection. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Funny!
This is the best three episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies I've seen.Especially the part when Jethro thinks the flamingo is a turkey!Overall I just like it!

Hilarius!
When I first saw it,I have to admit it was kinda lame.But when I saw more episodes,I finally understood the jokes and humor!That was truly hilarius!

Hilarius!
When I first saw the first three episodes I didn't really understand them.But then I finally started to understand the jokes and gags.Now I think they are HILARIUS! ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Inspired Musical Numbers Will Appeal to Musical Fans
Jerome Kern died while MGM's bio-pic TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY was still in the pre-production stage--and while Kern had been more than willing for MGM to tell all, his estate was considerably more reticent. In order to avoid any legal issues, MGM scrapped their original intentions, wrote up a fluffy script that bore little similarity to Kern's life, and crammed the film with every musical star available in a non-stop series of drop-dead-stunning production numbers. The result may be extremely bad biography, but leading man Robert Walker and co-star Van Heflin keep the sentimental story moving--and the musical numbers are piled on top of each other so quickly that one doesn't really question it. The film opens with a lengthy montage from SHOWBOAT, Kern's innovative masterpeice, that features knock-out performances from Lena Horne, Katheryn Grayson, and Virgina O'Brien and then quickly seques into a series of star-solos that feature June Allyson, Gower Champion, Cyd Charisse, Angela Lansbury, Dinah Shore, and Frank Sinatra.

Along the way we are also treated to an extended cameo by Judy Garland, performing "Look For The Silver Lining" precisely as Marilyn Miller played it on stage and singing "Who?" to a staircase of chorus boys--which Garland was said to find most amusing, considering that she was pregnant at the time. Also notable is Lucille Bremer in the role of Robert Walker's stage-struck ward; although her star quickly faded, Bremer is an attractive performer and shows her talent for song and dance here by teaming with Van Johnson for a spirited version of "I Won't Dance." TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY will not appeal to most casual viewers, for the story line and script are much too weak. But musical fans will love this one all the way from Lansbury doing a Cockney "Spoon With Me" to Sinatra belting out "Old Man River." As a Jerome Kern song-and-dance fest, the movie can't be beat, and it should have a place in every musical fan's collection.

Colorful and musical.
I own both a VHS and a DVD copy of this film, and oddly enough, the VHS tape yields a much clearer, more colorful picture! Go figure. The film is a wonderful study, not of a biography proper (it's often reported that the script was highly fictionalized), but of a top-flight execution of a musical. And if you're any kind of musical afficionado (and over 30), you'll enjoy the innovative ways this film stuffs so many stars into one motion picture- from Judy Garland as real-life Kern star Marilyn Miller, to the various stage pieces featuring Angela Lansbury, Ray McDonald, June Allyson, Tony Martin, Kathryn Grayson, Lucille Bremer, Van Johnson, and a BRUNETTE Dinah Shore singing "The Last Time I Saw Paris." And five of the singers- Grayson, Martin, Virginia O'Brien, Lena Horne, and Caleb Peterson- are magnificent in a mini-production of "Show Boat." (Interesting sideline: though it is only a small cameo, the gorgeous Horne is obviously performing the role of the mulatto singer Julie- a role she hoped to play in the actual "Show Boat" film. She was even approached by Broadway producers to do a revival of the show, but MGM would not allow it. Her striking essay of "Can't Help Lovin' That Man-" in her own fair skin and piercingly beautiful eyes- makes one wonder what might've been.) Blink and you'll miss Gower Champion dancing with Cyd Charisse. Sneeze and you'll miss Esther Williams signing autographs.

GREAT BAWULS OF THUNDAH!!!!
This poor stepchild of a movie ......saw it barely as an infant centuries ago and mama was not impressed by the length [got a bit of a whipping for staying out too late that time] ..... then years later in a 3rd world country in a musty little cinema with locals barely understanding what was going on - movie broke down a few times - gunshots from the projectionist's booth ..... [!]

HOWEVER, this DVD print is DREADFUL [but it IS CHEAP] and upon occasion - somewhere towards the end in a non-crucial moment, the same happens ... we don't decode .... cheap stuff!

CAN ONLY HOPR THAT SOMEONE RESTORES THIS ONE TO FULL DOLBY 5.1 and CLEANS UP THE NEGATIVE>

WHY? Well, there's LENA HORNE as the doomed JULIE singing "Can't Help Loving dat Man of Mine" in "Showboat" [looking spectacular in Egyptian II a shade developed especially for her by Max Faxtor - alas in the full lenth Miss Ava Gardner inherited the skin tone from Factors]. However, this is just ONE of the reasons to get this DVD .....there's also Judy Garland, Angela Lansbury, Van Johnson, old blue eyes Frank, Cyd Charisse, Eather William and a truckload of stellar talent.

It's a lavish production - very lavish - currently snubbed by this poor version - but destined to be resurrected in spelndor [please?]

Footnote ...Whatever Happened to LUCILLE BREMER? She's a pivot character in this saga, looks and dances great - especially with Van Johnson [wow!]

Pity - ah, but that's Hollywood.....

just filling in the gaps and fixing to watch this soon
[from the sleeve] "Star-studded musical biography of Jerome Kern with great song numbers featuring some of MGM's finest talent: Robert Walker, Judy Garland, Dinah Shore, Van Johnson, Lena Horne, Cyd Charisse, Frank Sinatra, Angela Lansbury, Tony Martin & June Allyson." 1946, Color, 135 minutes

Good movie - Bad DVD Transfer
While this film may not have the most exciting plot, one cannot deny the great production values of the musical numbers thanks to the Arthur Freed Unit. Judy Garland's numbers are top notch, along with the rest of them. Unfortunately, this film must have slipped into public domain, and the company who picked up the rights to doing a DVD print are not sticklers for quality! Since Warner Brothers now has the MGM library, if the DVD doesn't say Warner Home Video on it, you may want to get the VHS version instead. :-) Hopefully, sometime in the future, Warner Brothers will get the rights back to do a DVD, and get it done in nice crystal clear mastering. Then I can go out and re-buy it. Arther Freed musicals are a "must have" on DVD! ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Inspired Musical Numbers Will Appeal to Musical Fans
Jerome Kern died while MGM's bio-pic TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY was still in the pre-production stage--and while Kern had been more than willing for MGM to tell all, his estate was considerably more reticent. In order to avoid any legal issues, MGM scrapped their original intentions, wrote up a fluffy script that bore little similarity to Kern's life, and crammed the film with every musical star available in a non-stop series of drop-dead-stunning production numbers. The result may be extremely bad biography, but leading man Robert Walker and co-star Van Heflin keep the sentimental story moving--and the musical numbers are piled on top of each other so quickly that one doesn't really question it. The film opens with a lengthy montage from SHOWBOAT, Kern's innovative masterpeice, that features knock-out performances from Lena Horne, Katheryn Grayson, and Virgina O'Brien and then quickly seques into a series of star-solos that feature June Allyson, Gower Champion, Cyd Charisse, Angela Lansbury, Dinah Shore, and Frank Sinatra.

Along the way we are also treated to an extended cameo by Judy Garland, performing "Look For The Silver Lining" precisely as Marilyn Miller played it on stage and singing "Who?" to a staircase of chorus boys--which Garland was said to find most amusing, considering that she was pregnant at the time. Also notable is Lucille Bremer in the role of Robert Walker's stage-struck ward; although her star quickly faded, Bremer is an attractive performer and shows her talent for song and dance here by teaming with Van Johnson for a spirited version of "I Won't Dance." TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY will not appeal to most casual viewers, for the story line and script are much too weak. But musical fans will love this one all the way from Lansbury doing a Cockney "Spoon With Me" to Sinatra belting out "Old Man River." As a Jerome Kern song-and-dance fest, the movie can't be beat, and it should have a place in every musical fan's collection.

Colorful and musical.
I own both a VHS and a DVD copy of this film, and oddly enough, the VHS tape yields a much clearer, more colorful picture! Go figure. The film is a wonderful study, not of a biography proper (it's often reported that the script was highly fictionalized), but of a top-flight execution of a musical. And if you're any kind of musical afficionado (and over 30), you'll enjoy the innovative ways this film stuffs so many stars into one motion picture- from Judy Garland as real-life Kern star Marilyn Miller, to the various stage pieces featuring Angela Lansbury, Ray McDonald, June Allyson, Tony Martin, Kathryn Grayson, Lucille Bremer, Van Johnson, and a BRUNETTE Dinah Shore singing "The Last Time I Saw Paris." And five of the singers- Grayson, Martin, Virginia O'Brien, Lena Horne, and Caleb Peterson- are magnificent in a mini-production of "Show Boat." (Interesting sideline: though it is only a small cameo, the gorgeous Horne is obviously performing the role of the mulatto singer Julie- a role she hoped to play in the actual "Show Boat" film. She was even approached by Broadway producers to do a revival of the show, but MGM would not allow it. Her striking essay of "Can't Help Lovin' That Man-" in her own fair skin and piercingly beautiful eyes- makes one wonder what might've been.) Blink and you'll miss Gower Champion dancing with Cyd Charisse. Sneeze and you'll miss Esther Williams signing autographs.

GREAT BAWULS OF THUNDAH!!!!
This poor stepchild of a movie ......saw it barely as an infant centuries ago and mama was not impressed by the length [got a bit of a whipping for staying out too late that time] ..... then years later in a 3rd world country in a musty little cinema with locals barely understanding what was going on - movie broke down a few times - gunshots from the projectionist's booth ..... [!]

HOWEVER, this DVD print is DREADFUL [but it IS CHEAP] and upon occasion - somewhere towards the end in a non-crucial moment, the same happens ... we don't decode .... cheap stuff!

CAN ONLY HOPR THAT SOMEONE RESTORES THIS ONE TO FULL DOLBY 5.1 and CLEANS UP THE NEGATIVE>

WHY? Well, there's LENA HORNE as the doomed JULIE singing "Can't Help Loving dat Man of Mine" in "Showboat" [looking spectacular in Egyptian II a shade developed especially for her by Max Faxtor - alas in the full lenth Miss Ava Gardner inherited the skin tone from Factors]. However, this is just ONE of the reasons to get this DVD .....there's also Judy Garland, Angela Lansbury, Van Johnson, old blue eyes Frank, Cyd Charisse, Eather William and a truckload of stellar talent.

It's a lavish production - very lavish - currently snubbed by this poor version - but destined to be resurrected in spelndor [please?]

Footnote ...Whatever Happened to LUCILLE BREMER? She's a pivot character in this saga, looks and dances great - especially with Van Johnson [wow!]

Pity - ah, but that's Hollywood.....

just filling in the gaps and fixing to watch this soon
[from the sleeve] "Star-studded musical biography of Jerome Kern with great song numbers featuring some of MGM's finest talent: Robert Walker, Judy Garland, Dinah Shore, Van Johnson, Lena Horne, Cyd Charisse, Frank Sinatra, Angela Lansbury, Tony Martin & June Allyson." 1946, Color, 135 minutes

Good movie - Bad DVD Transfer
While this film may not have the most exciting plot, one cannot deny the great production values of the musical numbers thanks to the Arthur Freed Unit. Judy Garland's numbers are top notch, along with the rest of them. Unfortunately, this film must have slipped into public domain, and the company who picked up the rights to doing a DVD print are not sticklers for quality! Since Warner Brothers now has the MGM library, if the DVD doesn't say Warner Home Video on it, you may want to get the VHS version instead. :-) Hopefully, sometime in the future, Warner Brothers will get the rights back to do a DVD, and get it done in nice crystal clear mastering. Then I can go out and re-buy it. Arther Freed musicals are a "must have" on DVD! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Darn cute
A winner for Jane Powell. This movie was done back in the 40's before she got the 50's look. Except also in Holiday in Mexico, she never looked so beautiful. This time though she does a scene or two in braids and looks adorable. As a movie it's a filler, but a fine one. Jane Powell sneaks onto her father's trip in order to meet her favorite opera singer. On the way the both of them fall in love, her father results in a marriage, hers she admits a "passing fling". The guy has an eerie similarity to Joey Lawrence.
Marina Koshetz, the supporting actress, almost steals the show as an annoying opera singer. Her performance of I've got you under my skin was funny.

The Love Boat
LUXORY LINER is a cute movie with terrific singers and a weak plot which serves primarily as a platform for the excellent musical entertainment. Jane Powell sparkles as the daughter of a widowed ship captain.She is a passenger on her father's ship and she spends most of her time either trying to manage her father's love life or else attempting to advance her budding career as a singer.

The film is worth a high rating based mostly on the outstanding music. Jane Powell, Lauritz Melchior, Xavier Cugat and Marina Koshetz complement each other well. They are ably backed up by George Brent, Frances Gifford, Connie Gilchrist and Richard Derr.

Great funny and entertaining!
i very highly recommend this film, and think it's fun and entertaining. Jane Powell really shines in it.

Color; romance; relaxation; escape
Color, beautiful clothes, romance and great location don't always spell success for a movie. You also have to care about the people and be interested enough in the story to continue watching. This movie has all of the above and more. Pretty people, scenes, colors, clothes, enjoyable storyline. It also has romantic excitement with old fashioned values. Actions and words of the characters seem natural and therefore flow well.
There's beautifully sung music if you enjoy that sort of thing; but if you can't handle it, just fast forward a bit. I had forgotten that Jane Powell had real musical talent as I had forgotten she was in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." The other leading lady is pretty too, and believable. George Brent seems perfect as a middle-aged ship captain, just a bit tired out by life. The older man (real-life tenor) is rather enjoyable to watch and a joy to hear sing. After the movie is over you'll feel nostalgic for a more civilized era.

A LUXURY MUSICAL
Top talents and colorful production numbers make this an effervescent, light-hearted musical cruiz in the great tradition of the MGM musicals.

On board are the the ships's captain (George Brent) and his spunky daughter, Polly (Jane Powell). When stow-away, Polly, is discovered by the captain, she is given custodial duties which she uses to her advantage to play Cupid to some of the ship's passengers. She discovers that tenor, Lauritz Melchior, is also on board and she uses every opportunity to show him her own musical talents. Meanwhile, Francis Gifford and Marina Koshetz vie for the captains attention and complications arise.

Jane opens with the lovely "Spring Came Back to Vienna" and later sings "Alouette" assisted by the talented kitchen crew. Her musical prowess is displayed in "The Peanut Vendor" and the lilting "Gavotte" by Massenet. Mr. Melchior gives us "Come Back to Sorrento" and an aria from "Aida" in his rich tenor voice. Xavier Cugat shares his latin rhythms with "Cugat's Nougat" and "Con Maracas". The Pied Pipers are on hand for "Yes, We Have No Bananas" and the cruise closes with a reprise duet of "Spring Came Back to Vienna" with the youthful Powell and the renowned Melchior.

All aboard for a musical outing with mirth and joyful singing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

How about "The Manhattan Hillbillies" instead?
During the 8th and penultimate season of "The Beverly Hillbillies," after the marriage of Elly Mae (Donna Douglas) to backwoodsman Matthew Templeton (Roger Torrey) is called off, Jed took the family to New York City to continue the quest to find his daughter a husband. Volume 3 of this video tape series of the classic rural sitcom offers up the first two of the three episodes set in the Big Apple: (230) "Jed Buys Central Park" (October 29, 1969) from conman Honest John (a.k.a. Shifty) Shafer (Phil Silvers). (231) "The Clampetts in New York" (November 5, 1969) finds the family fixing to work on their cabin in Central Park while Shifty Shafer sells them several other New York City landmarks. The third episode in the New York trilogy, "Manhattan Hillbillies," is not included, but that is where Mr. Drysdale (Raymond Bailey) and Miss Jane (Nancy Kulp), show up to persuade the Clampetts to come back to Beverly Hills so they do not have to change the title of the show. These two shows are a mixed bag; on the one hand there is nothing new here in terms of the stories except for the new location in New York City. But on the other you do have Phil Silvers hamming it up while he tries to bilk the Clampetts (oh, come on, you saw that one coming). These are not classic episodes of the show, with the Clampetts interacting as you would expect with stewardesses and muggers, but they do rise to the above average standard. At least these confirm that Beverly Hills was indeed the place they ought to be... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

More attempts by Phil Silvers to bilk the Clampetts...
During season 8 of "The Beverly Hillbillies" the Clampetts visited to New York, where Jed ended up buying Central Park and several landmarks from Shifty Shafer, the con-man played by Phil Silvers. Early on in season 9, the final year of the show, the Clampetts basically did the exact same thing except this time around the setting was Washington, D.C. Episode 252, "The Clampetts in Washington" (September 22, 1970), has the Clampetts visiting the capital so that Jed (Buddy Ebsen) can give away his fortune to help the government fight air pollution. That is until the family runs into "Honest John" Shafer again. Kathleen Freeman plays Flo Shafer and you might recognize character actor Richard Erdman as the guard. Episode 253, "Jed Buys the Capitol" (September 29, 1970) continues the story in what is essentially a two-part episode. The fact that the two Washington, D.C. episodes were selected for Volume 2 while the New York City episodes show up on Volume 3, is interesting. Although the opportunity for political humor in Washington, D.C., is exploited for a couple of good jokes, I think the whole bit worked better the first time around. Whichever set you see second is going to suffer in comparison, even though we are talking Phil Silvers as the guest star. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The first two episodes of the classic rural situation comedy
Here is your opportunity to go back and watch the first two episodes of the story of a man named Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen), a poor hillbilly living in the Ozarks who discovered a fortune in oil while out shooting for some food. Paid $25 million by John Brewster of the OK Oil Company for drilling rights, the Clampetts moved to Beverly Hills where they moved into a mansion with a big cement pond right next door to their banker, Milburn Drysdale (Raymond Bailey). Jed brought along his daughter Elly Mae (Donna Douglas), a gorgeous blonde who loved all sorts of critters; his mother-in-law Daisy Moses (Irene Ryan), called Granny, who was always working on potions and was the meanest rassler in the world; and nephew Jethro Bodine (Max Baer), a giant of a man who was as stupid as he was strong. Fortunately, Jed has more common sense that everybody else on the show put together, so even though the Clampetts did not understand big city ways, they would always triumph in the end. The show made Buddy Ebsen a star, almost a quarter of a decade after the old song and dance man missed his opportunity for stardom when he was originally cast as the Tin Man in "The Wizard of Oz"; the silver makeup poisoned him and he was replaced.

"The Beverly Hillbillies" was an instant hit, finishing in the top spot for the Nielsens its first two seasons, and one of CBS' longest-running situation comedies, running from 1962 to 1971. The show defined the Rural Sitcom Era of prime time programming ("The Andy Griffith Show," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," "Green Acres," etc.) and its cancellation marked the new emphasis in demographics for Madison Avenue, where young adults with disposable income mattered more than rural families. This video provides the first two episodes of the classic sitcom, which taken together establish the premise of the series: (1) "The Clampetts Strike Oil" (September 26, 1962, written by Paul Henning & Phil Shuken) is the pilot episode where Jed discovers that underneath his swamp there is a giant lake of oil. John Brewster (Frank Wilcox) strikes a deal for the drilling rights and Jed's cousin Pearl Bodine (Bea Benaderet) convinces him to move his family to a 35-room mansion in Beverly Hills. (2) "Getting Settled" (October 3, 1962, written by Henning) finds the Clampetts arriving at their new mansion where they are mistaken by Miss Hathaway (Nancy Kulp) as backwoods servants. This sets the pattern for the entire series, as the big city folks assume the country folks are yokels, but the hillbillies win out in the end. Yes, it got redundant and repetitive over the years (most sitcoms do), but Jed Clampett had dignity, Granny was feisty, Elly Mae was beautiful, and Miss Jane has spunk (Jethro and Mr. Drysdale quickly wore on my nerves). Final Bit of Trivia: Buddy Ebsen's given name is Christian Rudolph Ebsen.

One of the best T.V. shows of all time!
I love this video! I watch it over and over again! It is so funny ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Granny has a couple of reasons to get her shooting iron
For Volume 4 of "The Beverly Hillbillies" collection Granny (Irene Ryan) goes back to the days of her youth, fighting Indians and Yankees. First up, Episode 158, "The Indians Are Coming" (February 1, 1967), because of a boundary dispute. There is an Indian reservation bordering the O.K. oil fields back home and Chief Running Wolf (Stanley Waxman) wants to discuss the boundary with Jed. But when Granny hears Indians are coming she is convinced they are on the warpath and coming to Beverly Hills to scalp them all, so she gets her gun. Of course Mr. Drysdale (Raymond Bailey) helps things along by hiring actors to pretend they are Indians and attack the mansion. John Wayne has a cameo appearance at the end of this episode. Then, Episode 181, "The South Rises Again" (November 29, 1967) offers similar confusion when Granny sees actors from a Civil War movie and spies that low down, no good General Grant (William Mims). She remembers him from the Civil War and if she can just capture him then she came make those Yankees surrender and the Confederacy will rise again. I just never understood how the South lost if they had Granny in the first place. I always liked the episodes of "The Beverly Hillbillies" where Granny got her dander up and the feisty old lady went off on some weird storyline that involved winning the Civil War, catching a kangaroo that she thought was a giant rabbit, or whatever. These are a pair of better episodes from the show's 5th and 6th seasons respectively. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Incredible Christmas Consolidation of Three Shows!
It's a rare moment in TV history as the corny casts of three rural sitcoms unite for a Christmas extravaganza. The characters from "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Green Acres" and "Petticoat Junction" gather for a wild romp. Banker Drysdale plays Scrooge and gets the Dickens in a dream sequence. Farmhand Eb courts bucolic beauty Elly May. Granny schemes to snag Sam Drucker, the general store keeper -- and goldigger Uncle Joe contemplates money-motivated matrimoney to the elderly hillbilly. Fun for the whole family, this show was "lost" after its first run in 1968 and only uncovered a few years ago. Well worth discovering!

Christmas In Hooterville
It's funny,especially when Granny dresses up as a girl. Excellent
choice for a Beverly Hillbillies lover. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Inspired Musical Numbers Will Appeal to Musical Fans
Jerome Kern died while MGM's bio-pic TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY was still in the pre-production stage--and while Kern had been more than willing for MGM to tell all, his estate was considerably more reticent. In order to avoid any legal issues, MGM scrapped their original intentions, wrote up a fluffy script that bore little similarity to Kern's life, and crammed the film with every musical star available in a non-stop series of drop-dead-stunning production numbers. The result may be extremely bad biography, but leading man Robert Walker and co-star Van Heflin keep the sentimental story moving--and the musical numbers are piled on top of each other so quickly that one doesn't really question it. The film opens with a lengthy montage from SHOWBOAT, Kern's innovative masterpeice, that features knock-out performances from Lena Horne, Katheryn Grayson, and Virgina O'Brien and then quickly seques into a series of star-solos that feature June Allyson, Gower Champion, Cyd Charisse, Angela Lansbury, Dinah Shore, and Frank Sinatra.

Along the way we are also treated to an extended cameo by Judy Garland, performing "Look For The Silver Lining" precisely as Marilyn Miller played it on stage and singing "Who?" to a staircase of chorus boys--which Garland was said to find most amusing, considering that she was pregnant at the time. Also notable is Lucille Bremer in the role of Robert Walker's stage-struck ward; although her star quickly faded, Bremer is an attractive performer and shows her talent for song and dance here by teaming with Van Johnson for a spirited version of "I Won't Dance." TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY will not appeal to most casual viewers, for the story line and script are much too weak. But musical fans will love this one all the way from Lansbury doing a Cockney "Spoon With Me" to Sinatra belting out