Cyd Charisse

Singin' in the Rain (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Old Hollywood amazes again....
LOVE it.
A wonderful musical and story
Singin' in the Rain
Now that's entertainment!

Singin' in the Rain (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Cyd Charisse , Mae Clarke , Harry Cody , Douglas Fowley , and Lance Fuller
Director: Stanley Donen
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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Two-Disc Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

My Fair Lady
The Music Man (Special Edition)
West Side Story (Full Screen Edition)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Casablanca

ASIN: B00006DEF9
Release Date: 2002-09-24

Amazon.com essential video

Decades before the Hollywood film industry became famous for megabudget disaster and science fiction spectaculars, the studios of Southern California (and particularly Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) were renowned for a uniquely American (and nearly extinct) kind of picture known as The Musical. Indeed, when the prestigious British film magazine Sight & Sound conducts its international critics poll in the second year of every decade, this 1952 MGM picture is the American musical that consistently ranks among the 10 best movies ever made. It's not only a great song-and-dance piece starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and a sprightly Debbie Reynolds; it's also an affectionately funny insider spoof about the film industry's uneasy transition from silent pictures to "talkies." Kelly plays debonair star Don Lockwood, whose leading lady Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) has a screechy voice hilariously ill-suited to the new technology (and her glamorous screen image). Among the musical highlights: O'Connor's knockout "Make 'Em Laugh"; the big "Broadway Melody" production number; and, best of all, that charming little title ditty in which Kelly makes movie magic on a drenched set with nothing but a few puddles, a lamppost, and an umbrella. --Jim Emerson

Description

Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds in 45th-anniversary restoration of the best-loved Hollywood musical ever-filled with memorable songs, lavish routines and Kelly's fabulous song-and-dance number performed in the rain.

Customer Reviews:

Old Hollywood amazes again...........2007-04-24

This is known as the greatest musical ever made, and if it isn't the greatest, it's certainly one of the top five. I love this movie. The dance numbers are amazingly filmed and choreographed, and it's nice to see Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly actually leave their camera linger and not constantly cut away (via MTV style), so we can see everyone dance (and, man, can they dance). The film has a very sly, sarcastic humour (especially Gene Kelly's "dignity" speech at the beginning), but the humour is never overly nasty, like much humour is today. The film is actually quite realistic in its depiction of Hollywood's transition to sound (which was chaotic in many respects), and it has probably the most positive portrayal of a studio head in film history. The final Broadway ballet sequence is a movie in itself. It goes on for 15 minutes or so, and feels like an art film contained in a Hollywood musical. The only other musical sequence that comes close is the final sequence in An American in Paris. The ballet sequences in Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes is like it too. All the performances are really good, especially Donald O'Connor as Kelly's sidekick. His Make 'Em Laugh song shows off his amazing dancing abilities. This film is as great as you've heard, and I really love the Hollywood musical era. Sure as heck beats the musical MTV era by miles....

LOVE it........2007-04-23

One of the best movies of all time, and a musical even for those who don't like musicals. You must watch this feel-good movie at least once in your life. Ostensibly, the plot is about the transition a film company and some actors must make from silent film to sound movies. But the real attraction is the many amazing dance and music sequences, especially Donald O'Connor's "Make 'Em Laugh" routine.

A wonderful musical and story.......2007-03-29

It was a treat to see this great musical again! The songs are wonderful and get stuck in your head. The dancing is amazing and mesmerizing to watch. I'm so glad that such a cinematic display as enhanced on this dvd can now be available to myself and many other fans who never want to forget what a wonderful time it was when Kelly and other stars triumphed on the big screen.

Singin' in the Rain.......2007-03-27

I haven't watched this DVD yet, but it looks to be in excellent condition.

Now that's entertainment!.......2007-03-13

Singin In the Rain is arguably the best movie musical of all time, not just because of the music but because of the entire package - the premise, the comedy, the characters - everything here works together to make you feel better any time you sit down to watch it. It's ironic that this movie was thrown together quickly to capitalize on the success of "An American in Paris", since the improvisational feeling of the movie is one of the things that makes it so much fun. Although this film is number ten on the top 100 films of all time as compiled by the American Film Institute, it wasn't nominated for best picture the year of its release, 1952. Although it did well at the box office, it would be over twenty years before people would look back and realize just what a great motion picture it was. Perhaps that was because the 1970's were such bleak and cynical years, with movies that largely matched that mood, that people were eager to rediscover the fun that a motion picture viewing experience could be.

The movie focuses on that period of time in which the entire motion picture film industry was in nervous transition from silent to talking pictures. Although the movie compresses time in this respect - the transition actually took about three years - it does accurately describe the technical problems of that era along with their comical aspects. There was an overabundance of musicals in the first batch of talking films, many stars did have heavy accents that made their speech undecipherable or voices that came across like nails on a chalkboard like Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) and saw their careers ruined, and early sound technology itself was so fragile that you would often see actors speaking to potted plants or to coat racks with comic effect. The preview of silent picture team Lockwood and Lamont's first talkie, "The Dueling Cavalier", is one of the most hilarious scenes in the film. It is pretty typical of what you would see in such an early talking picture - dialogue going in and out of sync, actors and actresses strutting around and wildly gesturing as if nobody can hear them, and dialogue that still resembled what you would read off of the title cards in a silent film - "I love you, I love you, I love you".

All of this is one of the reasons Singin' In The Rain will never get dated - it is a comic nostalgic look at a very narrow period in time. This movie is fun outside of its comic take on movie history, though. For one, it's hard to say who steals the show the most, since there are so many thieves involved. Most notably there is Jean Hagen - who actually has a very acceptable speaking voice - as the evil silent star who can't accept her days are numbered. Then there is a 27 year-old Donald O'Connor as Cosmo, the studio music director and sidekick of Gene Kelly's character whose youthful exuberance really shines in the number "Make 'Em Laugh" along with all of his goofy facial expressions. He seems to be having as much fun as the audience. Finally, there are all of the great dance numbers and music, capped by probably one of the most famous scenes of all time - Gene Kelly's rendition of the title number that perfectly captures the joy of a man who has just fallen in love and feels he has the world at his feet. You just can't watch this film and not come away with a smile on your face. It is as good for the soul as chicken soup, just a lot more fun.

Esther Williams Collection (Bathing Beauty / Easy to Wed / On an Island with You / Neptune's Daughter / Dangerous When Wet)

Average customer rating:

Instant Entertainment...Just add water
Finally, Esther makes the dive into DVD

Esther Williams Collection (Bathing Beauty / Easy to Wed / On an Island with You / Neptune's Daughter / Dangerous When Wet)
Starring: Esther Williams , Lucille Ball , Red Skelton , Cyd Charisse , and Van Johnson
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol. 2 (The Pirate / Words and Music / That's Dancing / The Belle of New York & Royal Wedding / That Midnight Kiss & The Toast of New Orleans)
Lucille Ball Film Collection (Dance Girl Dance / The Big Street / Du Barry Was a Lady / Critic's Choice / Mame)
The Doris Day Collection, Vol. 2 (Romance on the High Seas / My Dream Is Yours / On Moonlight Bay / I'll See You in My Dreams / By the Light of the Silvery Moon / Lucky Me)
Tyrone Power: The Swashbuckler Box Set (Blood and Sand / Son of Fury / The Black Rose / Prince of Foxes / The Captain from Castile)
Can-Can

ASIN: B000PC8AL4
Release Date: 2007-07-17

Customer Reviews:

Instant Entertainment...Just add water.......2007-06-07

I am so glad The Esther Williams collection is finally being released. She was the most beautiful star at MGM, if not in all of Hollywood. What a great selection of films too. "Easy To Wed" features a comical, but gorgeous Lucille Ball. "On An Island With You" is a personal favorite and Esther is at her most beautiful here. I am hopeful TCM will release a second volume to this collection and include Esther's 1956 drama "The Unguarded Moment". In it, she plays a high school music teacher who is being stalked by a young John Saxon. "Thrill Of A Romance", "This Time For Keeps" "Easy To Love" and "Jupier's Darling" would complete the set nicely. Miss Williams proves she is a star both in and out of water!

Finally, Esther makes the dive into DVD .......2007-04-28

For years I've been waiting for this Esther Williams DVD collection and hallelujah they have finally arrived. These five films from 1944 to 1953 are the best, but hopefully the remainer of her aquatic musicals will soon follow. BATHING BEAUTY is among the top of my favorites list thanks to Red Skelton, Xavier Cugat, Ethel Smith's Tico-Tico and Esther's spectacular flaming water fountains swim finale. I gave a five star rating just becasue it contains five great musicals. Hopefully the picture and sound quality will give justice for this rating.

Average customer rating:

Old Hollywood amazes again....
LOVE it.
A wonderful musical and story
Singin' in the Rain
Now that's entertainment!

Singin' in the Rain
Starring: Cyd Charisse , Mae Clarke , Harry Cody , Douglas Fowley , and Lance Fuller
Director: Donen, Stanley
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

My Fair Lady
The Music Man (Special Edition)
West Side Story (Full Screen Edition)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Casablanca

ASIN: B00004RF98
Release Date: 2000-06-06

Amazon.com essential video

No one even bothers to argue about it any more--by any standard and international consensus, this is the best movie musical of them all. Its arcane, unlikely milieu is Hollywood during the transition in the late 1920s from silent to sound motion pictures. Its reason for being was producer Arthur Freed's desire to use the catalog of songs he had written with Nacio Herb Brown in the '20s and '30s for various shows and movies. But, ironically, it's now the soundtrack that seems cobbled together from disparate sources, while the movie itself remains seamless. That's thanks to a literate screenplay by Adolph Green and Betty Comden and ebulliant acting and dancing by the young Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. Jean Hagen is especially brilliant as the silent-screen star whose speaking voice is so screechy she has to be dubbed for talkies. Kelly codirected with Stanley Donen, and both can take credit for a masterpiece. Musical standouts are "You Were Meant for Me," "Good Morning" and "All I Do Is Dream of You." Visually, the indelible image will always be Kelly sloshing around in puddles while singin' in the rain. That said, this coupling of video with a definitive version of the soundtrack benefits from Rhino's meticulous reconstruction of the material and extensive annotations, which only enhance our grasp of this film and musical legend's gestation. ---Robert Windeler

Customer Reviews:

Old Hollywood amazes again...........2007-04-24

LOVE it........2007-04-23

A wonderful musical and story.......2007-03-29

Singin' in the Rain.......2007-03-27

I haven't watched this DVD yet, but it looks to be in excellent condition.

Now that's entertainment!.......2007-03-13

Matt Helm Lounge (The Silencers/ Murderers Row/The Ambushers/The Wrecking Crew) [Region 99]

Average customer rating:

A Fascinating Look at Sex, Spies, and the 1960s
Killa!!!
Outstanding Series!
Matt Helm Lounge
A '60s Spy Spoof Flashback

Matt Helm Lounge (The Silencers/ Murderers Row/The Ambushers/The Wrecking Crew) [Region 99]
Starring: Dean Martin , Stella Stevens , Daliah Lavi , Victor Buono , and Arthur O'Connell
Director: Phil Karlson , and Henry Levin
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Ultimate Flint Collection (Our Man Flint / In Like Flint)
A Guide for the Married Man
Tony Rome
The Wild Wild West - The Complete First Season
Our Man Flint

ASIN: B0009RCPWK
Release Date: 2005-12-06

Description

Dean Martin stars as the original swinger agent, Matt Helm, in this four-disc set including: THE SILENCERS, MURDERERS ROW, THE WRECKING CREW, and THE AMBUSHERS.

THE SILENCERS: The first of the series of Matt Helm films, the big cheese of Big O, an organization that wants to sabotage the American atomic missile system. It's up to secret agent Helm to save the day.

MURDERER'S ROW: The handsome top agent Matt dies a tragic death in his bathtub - the women mourn about the loss. However it's just faked for his latest top-secret mission: He shall find Dr. Solaris, inventor of the Helium laser beam, powerful enough to destroy a whole continent. It seems Dr. Solaris has been kidnapped by a criminal organization. The trace leads to the Cote D'Azur.

THE AMBUSHERS: A government space saucer is hijacked mid-flight by a powerful laser beam under the control of Jose Ortega, who then proceeds to rape the female pilot, Sheila Sommars. ICE sends agent Matt Helm to Acapulco with Sheila to recover the saucer, under the guise of Matt taking fashion photographs of beautiful models. Matt is temporarily sidetracked, falling prey to the seductive charms of enemy agent Franceca Madeiros.

THE WRECKING CREW: The count has stolen enough gold to cause a financial crisis in the world markets so I.C.E. sends in ace spy Matt Helm to stop him. As Matt works alone, the British send in Freya to aid Matt, but it seems that Freya causes more problems than she solves.

Customer Reviews:

A Fascinating Look at Sex, Spies, and the 1960s.......2007-04-17

This is a great collection of movies for both Matt Helm and Dean Martin fans. Most viewers will find Dean Martins' slightly comedic approach to the Matt Helm character very entertaining. In addition to some pretty funny moments, the movies are also full of clever songs, such as "When Your Sweetheart Puts A Pistol in her Pillow."

These movies provide a fascinating look at American culture of the 1960s. They contain old cars, scantily clad women, and a surplus of sexual innuendo. The behavior exhibited by Dean Martin is also rather interesting. In a scene from "The Silencers", he rips the dress off of Stella Stevens as an incentive for her to start talking. Today, such behavior would be called "assault." In another movie, Dean is drinking from a flask while driving his car and receiving instructions from Headquarters. Obviously, drinking and driving was not an issue in the 1960s. These films contain some of the big name actresses of the day, such as Stella Stevens, Ann Margaret, and Sharon Tate. Sharon Tate, unfortunately, is better known for being murdered by Charles Manson and his family.

The quality of the movies is excellent and there were no problems with the DVDs. All four DVDs fit into two slim containers. The entire collection fits into one box the size of a normal DVD case. Unfortunately, the set has the appearance of a rental from the local video store, vice something that was intended for sale. "The Silencers" contain several movie trailers for unrelated films such as "Fun with Dick and Jane." There is no trailer for "The Silencers." The other movies do contain Matt Helm movie trailers, but not on the disk of that movie. The set also contains multiple trailers for "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and an upcoming release of the Seinfeld DVDs. Finally, one DVD came with a small anti theft tag used to prevent shoplifting.

Despite these minor anomalies, this is a very entertaining set of movies. Dean Martin is as enjoyable now as he was in the 1960s. The viewer can certainly see how these films were a likely source of inspiration for the Austin Powers movies.

Killa!!!.......2007-04-12

Bond, Steel, Flint, Man From Uncle, don't got nothing on Matt Helm. Awesome retro movies! Must have if you like this type of movies.

Outstanding Series!.......2007-04-04

It was very enjoyable seeing these now forty year old classics. Dean Martin was his usual easy going self as Matt Helm, while James Gregory was excellent as McDonald his boss. Well worth it!

Neal Robertson

Matt Helm Lounge.......2007-03-31

Waited a long time for these to become available. I am very happy with them. Boy, special effects have sure come a long way.

A '60s Spy Spoof Flashback.......2007-02-24

I want to echo all that has been said by the other, positive reviewers regarding the fun nature of these films. I was a kid in the 60s and Matt Helm was the anti-Bond, an American spy who totally out-cooled that British guy. Definitely not to be taken seriously but a fun romp on a retro weekend of martinis and lounge music. Also note that the aspect ratio on these films is 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen so they look great on a 16:9 Hi Def set. Please Amazon, make sure you list the technical details for your products.

Average customer rating:

A classic
Excellent restoration and digital remastering
Brigadoon - the movie
Brigadoon
Brigadon't

Brigadoon
Starring: Gene Kelly , Van Johnson , Cyd Charisse , Elaine Stewart , and Barry Jones
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Finian's Rainbow
Singin' in the Rain (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Show Boat
An American in Paris

ASIN: B0007939NO
Release Date: 2005-03-15

Amazon.com essential video

Anything is possible in Brigadoon, the Lerner and Loewe musical put to celluloid in 1954 by director Vincente Minnelli: a village can reappear for only one day each century, and Gene Kelly can tap-dance on a dirt path. Kelly and Van Johnson play a pair of New Yorkers who go on a hunting vacation in the highlands of Scotland. But what Tommy Albright (Kelly) captures is the heart of a bonny Scottish lass, Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse). The catch: Fiona lives in Brigadoon, an enchanted town that appears for only one day every 100 years. If Tommy stays, he must give up everything (including his fiancé back home); if Fiona leaves with Tommy, Brigadoon will vanish into the highland mist, never to be seen again. Not that this keeps anyone from having a good time. The men are clad in vivid tartan kilts and leggings, and the women swish about in multicolored petticoats. Fiona's sister Jean is getting married, and the whole town is drinking ale and singing cheery songs--except for Jean's ex-beau, who threatens to leave and thereby end the town's existence. Brigadoon is a charming escape into a sweet fairy tale. Some of the songs may be less than memorable, but Kelly's choreography is often as witty as the banter. When the hectic pace of the modern world threatens to overtake you, consider a brief vacation in the highlands of Scotland. As one character says, "There must be an awful lot of folk searching for a Brigadoon"--even if it only lasts for a couple of hours. --Larisa Lomacky Moore

Customer Reviews:

A classic.......2007-06-11

The last time I saw this movie, I had to go to bed before it was over since it was past my bedtime. I finally got to see the end. If you like old musicals, Gene Kelly and old fashioned love stories, this is one to have.

Excellent restoration and digital remastering.......2007-03-09

The restoration is excellent; they have saved a classic musical. I loved it!

Brigadoon - the movie.......2007-02-14

Not one of the better made movies. Dated. Gene Kelley was even disappointed that he couldn't film on location. The story and plot are a bit dated, but the music is beautiful.

Brigadoon.......2007-01-09

Great DVD. Good quality. Packaged well and shipped promptly. Good customer service.

Brigadon't.......2006-10-14

Musicals cover a huge range, from the serious thought provoking productions like Cabaret (and if you don't think a musical can have a serious outcome consider the fact that the German government edited out the song "Tomorrow belongs to me" because they felt it might inflame those with neo-nazi proclivities) to those that fill a need within people to believe in a beautiful story ( witness the fact that millions tuned in to BBC T.V. to find out who would play Maria in the new West End production by Andrew Lloyd Weber). Brigadoon falls in the middle and comes from that glorious era of Hollywood mega musicals. It epitomises everything that critics complain about when they discuss the Hollywoodisation of the world. The highlands of Scotland were never like this, the accents are hoochter, choochter nonsense, the kilts are embarrasingly bright, in fact the whole production is in Ansco, a film process that relegates gaudy to the dim recesses of dull. The performers walk about with glazed looks on their faces, even the sensational Cyd Charisse spends most of the film with a slightly stunned look which is accompanied by Gene Kelly's permanent manic grin. The songs are generally dreadful ( Waiting for my Dearie must rank near the top in toe curling banality). Kelly and Charisse are magnificent when they dance but this is near balletic stuff and is difficult to take more than once since it is so artificial. The highland dancing is fake which is a pity since so much more could have been made of this rich lore of traditional dance. The film lacks the gusto and fun of 'Seven Brides'and is twee and banal and all in all does not travel well through time.

Average customer rating:

Oldies but goodies!!
The Harvey Girls
Not historically very accurate, but a good western/musical
The Harvey Girls review
An engaging and nostalgic musical, with a fresh-faced Judy Garland (and Angela Lansbury, who almost steals the movie)

The Harvey Girls
Starring: Judy Garland , John Hodiak , Ray Bolger , Preston Foster , and Virginia O'Brien
Director: George Sidney (II)
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Meet Me In St. Louis (Two-Disc Special Edition)
In the Good Old Summertime
Easter Parade (Two-Disc Special Edition)
For Me And My Gal (Snap case)
Summer Stock

ASIN: B00005Y71M
Release Date: 2001-04-30

Amazon.com

Sometimes lively, sometimes pokey, this Technicolor MGM musical inspires mixed feelings in aficionados of the form--except on one point. No viewer will question why "On the Atchison, Topeka, & the Santa Fe" won the best song Oscar for 1946. This is a brilliant, inventive song given an epic staging. Director George Sidney pulls out all the stops for this wowser--even Marjorie Main sings, an eardrum-testing sound. The real-life Harvey Girls were waitresses imported to the far-flung Fred Harvey Hotels, civilizing oases along the railroad lines out west. The fictional Harvey Girls is set in Sandrock, where the traveling waitresses are joined by a sort of mail-order bride (Judy Garland) whose prospective husband is a bust--he's a roughhewn rancher played by Chill Wills. Garland is in fine spunky form; unfortunately, her romance is with John Hodiak (as the owner of a dance hall), that uninspiring World War II-era lead. The film's other great Johnny Mercer-Harry Warren song is the unexpectedly melancholy "It's a Great Big World," performed in a lovely trio by Garland, Virginia O'Brien, and the young Cyd Charisse. The tall, deadpan O'Brien also does a comic take on "The Wild, Wild West" while shoeing a horse. With kewpie-faced Angela Lansbury as a bespangled dance-hall gal and Ray Bolger high-stepping through a dance solo, there are enough good people on board to keep the wheels a-turning "all the way to Californ-eye-yay." --Robert Horton

Product Description

Musical western about a mail order bride who ditches her bashful suitor and joins a group of women intent on opening a remote whistle stop restaurant.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Oldies but goodies!!.......2007-02-24

Absolutely loved it !! I love any movie with Judy Garland in it!

The Harvey Girls.......2007-01-22

A must see for any Judy Garland fan. Home of The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe - a classic!!

Not historically very accurate, but a good western/musical.......2006-12-30

I probably saw The Harvey Girls when I was much younger, but if I did, I don't remember anything about it. The movie was released in 1945, a year before I was born. The movie has aged better than I have!

I bought the DVD after reading the book "The Harvey Girls" by Lesley Poling-Kempes. The book gives a fascinating look at the Harvey Girls and the Fred Harvey hotels and restaurants that helped civilize the wild west. If you watch the movie expecting to see a historically accurate depiction of Harvey houses and Harvey Girls, you'll be disappointed. The movie gives at best a very superficial view of the Fred Harvey system and his Harvey Girls.

Having said that, however, I enjoyed the movie. It's an old fashioned musical with a wild west setting, and it's pretty good to boot. Judy Garland is at her absolute peak, as are a screenful of other superb actors and actresses. The musical numbers are mostly good, but "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" is a classic (and it was the Academy Award Best Song in 1946).

The story line involving Judy Garland and John Hodiak is fairly predictable, but it's still fun to watch it develop. And this movie can be watched by everyone in the family without any embarrassment.

No, they don't make 'em like this any more, and maybe that's a bad thing.

Some additional material, including deleted musical numbers and a director commentary are nice touches to the DVD.

The Harvey Girls review.......2006-11-04

I really enjoyed the movie. The story background is the Fred Harvey restaurants and concessions at train stations. My father worked for Fred Harvey at the Chicago and Cleveland facilities.

Regarding the movie and Judy Garland - The movie is great and Judy was one of my favorite entertainers.

Lane Hansen

An engaging and nostalgic musical, with a fresh-faced Judy Garland (and Angela Lansbury, who almost steals the movie).......2006-07-05

The Harvey Girls is hard to beat for sheer corny, likable nostalgia. Is it one of the great MGM musicals? Not in my opinion. The narrative is too long, John Hodiak isn't an intriguing romantic lead and some of the comic relief is too broad. Still, the movie carries with it such a high degree of good-natured professionalism that it's easy to like. The story itself is uncomplicated. A group of Harvey girls arrive at Sandrock, Arizona, to open a Harvey House, one of many restaurants Fred Harvey was establishing along the western rail lines. A Harvey House offered good, wholesome food and good, wholesome company. Susan Bradley (Judy Garland) joins them when she and her groom-to-be (Chill Wills) decide in a friendly way that their mail-order marriage arrangement wasn't such a good idea. Determined to stop the Harvey House girls are Ned Trent (John Hodiak) and Sam Purvis (Preston Foster), owners of the Alhambra, a wide-open saloon, dance hall and gambling establishment across the street from the new Harvey House. Em (Angela Lansbury), the dance hall star, doesn't like the competition, either, especially when Susan and Ned begin to notice each other.

Great movie musical or not, there are many things to enjoy. Judy Garland dominates the movie. She was 23 when she made it. Despite her immense talent and almost unnatural professional skills (I mean this as a compliment), there is an innocence about her in this movie which seems fresh and unforced. She handles the comedy and pratfalls in a very winning way. Angela Lansbury steals the scenes she has with everyone except Garland, and comes close even there. Lansbury moves from a woman with a mercenary heart who is more complex than we first think to a woman who not only is willing to concede defeat to Susan when it comes to Ned, but who is instrumental in finally bringing the two together. Lansbury was 21, doesn't seem that young for an instant and was already proving her skills as an actress. The songs by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer, with one exception, never became well known on their own but they serve the story extremely well. As usual, Mercer's lyrics capture the style of the characters and are worth listening to carefully. He was among the very best at writing lyrics that were character-driven and conversational. One particularly nice song is "It's a Great Big World," a charming combination of ruefulness and romantic hope sung by Garland, Virginia O'Brien and Cyd Charisse:

I had no petticoat trimmed with lace,
My angel cake was a pure disgrace,
My face was my fortune, my mother said,
And my dancing slippers of bright, bright red.
A million miles I have danced, or more,
In hopes Prince Charming would cross the floor,
I can't understand it, I've waltzed and I've whirled,
But my goodness me it's a great big world.
And it's cold, cold, cold,
And we'll soon be old.
But I'll keep on knitting and doing it well,
My slippers are one thing I never will sell,
My petticoat's waiting because who can tell?
It's a great big world, it's a great big world.

The big hit, "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," is featured in an eight-minute production number at the start of the movie. It's just about worth the price of the DVD.

Do you hear that whistle down the line?
I figure that it's engine number forty nine,
She's the only one that'll sound that way.
On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe.
See the ol' smoke risin' 'round the bend,
I reckon that she knows she's gonna meet a friend,
Folks around these parts get the time o' day
From the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe.

The number is an fine example of the full-throttle MGM style...hundreds of extras taking part, different characters telling in song their stories as well as the story of what the Harvey girls were all about, the introduction of nearly all the main or featured characters, plus cowboys, horses, buckboard wagons, lariats and a giant, polished steam engine moving down the tracks...all wrapped up in this memorable and catchy song. The featured characters all have their own stories and are used in different ways. Some, such as Ray Bolger, Marjorie Main, Chill Wills and Virginia O'Brien, are used as comedy relief, some with their own numbers, others such as Cyd Charisse and Kenny Baker bring low-key subplots to the story. The look of the movie adds immeasurably to its charm...bright, Technicolor sets and costumes, perfect outdoor scenery, cowboys in immaculate pastel shirts, the bargirls in ostrich feathers and risque (but not too risque) costumes and the Harvey girls in their prim dresses and starched aprons. And all the girls, whether they work in the dance-hall or in Fred Harvey's restaurant, are gorgeous.

There's also one other bit of nice nostalgia. Six years previously, when Garland was 17 and made to look like she was 12, she and Ray Bolger as her friend the scarecrow were skipping down the yellow brick road on a wonderful adventure. With The Harvey Girls, Garland has become a young woman on the brink of romance, and Bolger is still next to her as her friend.

The DVD presentation is excellent. The extras include an interesting, perceptive commentary recorded 50 years after the movie was made by the director, George Stevens.

Average customer rating:

MUSICAL NUMBERS a PLUS ; MICKEY ROONEY a MINUS
Great performances in fictional Rodgers & Hart biography
Words and Music
TURNER/MGM/WARNER EMBARRASMENT!
Superb Musical - Everyone shines!

Words and Music
Starring: June Allyson , Perry Como , Judy Garland , Lena Horne , and Gene Kelly
Director: Norman Taurog
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Pirate
Pigskin Parade
Du Barry Was a Lady
The Clock
Can-Can

ASIN: B000PAAK5A
Release Date: 2007-07-24

Amazon.com

The plot is a hokey whitewash of the careers of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, with characters talking in stilted phrases ("Gee, Larry, that's marvelous, really and truly") and complexities reduced to ground zero. But Rodgers and Hart comprised one of the greatest song-writing teams of the 20th century, and Words and Music (1948) is an excuse for a gang of Hollywood's top performers to have their way with the tunes. Mel Tormé croons a melancholy "Blue Moon," June Allyson twinkles through "Thou Swell," and a climactic ballet to "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" features Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen in slinky, kicky form. As is often the case in MGM musicals of this period, Lena Horne steals the show with a self-contained sequence (so it could be snipped out in theaters in the U.S. South), here contributing stunning versions of "The Lady Is a Tramp" and that most mysterious of American pop songs, "Where or When."

The film's sense of time is deranged: Perry Como plays an early friend of R&H, then decades later, himself; Garbo's Camille is shown as a silent film, although it was released 10 years after sound came in; and the grown-up Judy Garland plays herself in a period when she would have been a child. The upside is that Garland romps through "Johnny One Note," one of many examples of Lorenz Hart's lyrical dexterity. Tom Drake is a dull Rodgers, but Mickey Rooney's buzz-saw energy and crazed appetite might have made a brilliant Larry Hart. In a better movie, that is. --Robert Horton

Description

Bio-pic of songwriters Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.

Customer Reviews:

MUSICAL NUMBERS a PLUS ; MICKEY ROONEY a MINUS.......2007-05-03

Great songs and dances performed by MGM stars at their peak, but Mickey Rooney should have died in the first reel. His Larry Hart was miscasting at it's best. It was like watching Andy Hardy, smoking a cigar, trying to look grown up. I was hoping Lewis Stone would enter and have a man-to-man talk with him. Barely tolerable when he was happy in the movie, but TERRIBLE playing a depressed and later dying character. Even in his scene with Judy Garland you can see how she and her acting has matured, but he (Rooney) was still mugging for the camera and trying do get away with the Andy Hardy "schitck" which was cute 10 years earlier, but intolerable to watch in someone approaching 30 years old!

Great performances in fictional Rodgers & Hart biography.......2007-04-17

First of all, this can't be widescreen because it was made circa 1948. That said, it is a wonderful (but HIGHLY fictitious) biography filled with interesting performers at their musical best, including June Allyson, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney & Ann Sothern who are terrific. The galaxy of MGM singers & dancers is overwhelming, and their are literally dozens of songs performed. Highly recommended.

Words and Music.......2006-07-27

I have been waiting for years for "Words and Music"(1948) to be released on DVD. I have both the sound track (CD) and the movie (VHS) in my collection. I would like to have the DVD of this, as it is a matter of time, before my VHS collection is obsolete. The movie is light on true events in Hart's life (sexual preference), but the music and stage productions are excellent.

TURNER/MGM/WARNER EMBARRASMENT!.......2006-05-06

This was released on VHS ages ago and its about time Warner re-releases it as a re-mastered Dolby Digital masterpiece that it deserves and that they can and have done so beautifully !!!

Superb Musical - Everyone shines!.......2005-11-29

Words & Music was originally released in 1948 and is a very colourful, beautifully filmed musical from MGM. The film includes a lot of superb performances! Despite the fact that the film is only very loosly based on the lives of Rogers and Hart, this film is a must have for all Musical collectors and fans of all the stars involved.

There are 3 outstanding performances from Perry Como, which are (in order of appearance) 'Mountain Greenery' (a rareity for all Como fans), 'Blue Room' (a hit for Como in the late 40's) and 'With a song in my heart' (also a hit for Como in the late 40's).

Other great performances come from June Allyson, who sings 'Thou swell', plus Judy Garland and Lena Horne perform some classic numbers.

Another highlight of the film is definitely Gene Kelly's dance routine with Vera Ellen, which certainly keeps the interest of the audience in the latter parts of the film.

All the acting is very good. Tom Drake and Mickey Rooney shine as Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.

Perry Como should certainly be commended for his efforts in this film. The last of the 4 films he made, which were all during the 40's. Perry performs youthfully and fresh and his acting is very pleasing, taking into consideration his discomfort with acting in films!

My only advice to you is. By this film, watch it over and over again. This makes for all round great viewing, be it Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter. This film is bound to captivate you!

Excellent!

Average customer rating:

Comentarios
Some of the very best from "The Dream Factory"
That's Entertainment
Great stuff
MGM Nostalgia

That's Entertainment
Starring: Fred Astaire , Bing Crosby , Gene Kelly , Peter Lawford , and Liza Minnelli
Director: Jack Haley Jr.
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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That's Entertainment, Pt. 2
That's Entertainment III
Singin' in the Rain (Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition) with Slipcover
Broadway Melody of 1940

ASIN: B0002OXVD2
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Amazon.com

This nostalgic history lesson in the treasures of MGM musicals touches upon the obvious highlights--An American in Paris, Singin' in the Rain, many others--and includes clips of wonderful though more obscure performances by Esther Williams, Jimmy Durante, Eleanor Powell, and even Clark Gable singing and dancing. It's a film lover's box of candy and perfect for musical mavens, and getting a chance to see so many legends host the whole affair (many of whom have died since the film's 1974 release) is as pleasing as the old footage. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Comentarios.......2007-05-09

La entrega fue de primera, el producto llego en excelentes condiciones, super rapido, el precio es accesible y justo, la atanción de primera, la calidad del DVD es de primera, en concreto tanto los productos como la atención son de primera clase.

Some of the very best from "The Dream Factory".......2007-03-23

Dear Mr. Gable,
I am writing this to you
And I hope that you will read it so you'll know
My heart beats like a hammer
And I stutter and I stammer
Every time I see you at the picture show.
I guess I'm just another fan of yours
And I thought I'd write and tell you so.

You made me love you
I didn't wanna do it, I didn't wanna do it.
You made me love you
And all the time you knew it, I guess you always knew it.
You made me happy, sometimes you made me glad.
But there were times, sir, you made me feel so sad.
You made me sigh 'cause
I didn't wanna tell you, I didn't wanna tell you
I think you're grand, that's true
Yes I do, 'deed I do, you know I do.
I must tell you what I'm feeling
The very mention of your name
Sends my heart reeling.
You know you made me love you!

MGM's "Dream Factory" specialized in the artistic and technological development of the Hollywood musical; and this DVD proves it. The producers and editors have culled footage from dozens of films to illustrate MGM's successes at producing musicals that still enchant their audiences today. The singing, dancing and acting remain unsurpassed in movie history.

That's Entertainment uses a variety of their biggest stars as narrators for the film's many segments. Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, Peter Lawford, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor are among the MGM stars who both narrate and perform in clips from the MGM vaults.

And wow, how that footage will astound you! They just don't make them with such care, style and grace as they used to. Rarely does a musical come out these days that can even hold a candle to the musicals honored here. We get two wonderful collages of film clips of Judy Garland singing her heart out; Fred Astaire dancing with a hat rack and even on the ceiling in Royal Wedding and Donald O'Connor performing the humorous "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singing In The Rain. We also see the immortal Maurice Chevalier performing "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" from the movie Gigi. In addition, the ballet scenes from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers and An American In Paris will stun you.

The color is excellent and even the older black and white footage is rather good quality. We also see how right from the start of sound "talkie" movies MGM pushed all it's stars into a musical even if they were truly fitted for the job or not. Look for clips of dramatic actors including Clark Gable singing and dancing; Jean Harlow singing in Reckless and Robert Montgomery singing in an early musical, too.

As for the dancing, Joan Crawford dances exceptionally well in Dancing Lady; Eleanor Powell dances to new heights with Fred Astaire in Broadway Melody of 1940; and Judy Garland dances wonderfully with Mickey Rooney in several numbers from the movies they did together at MGM.

That's Entertainment stands as a documentary produced to document its own achievements at making high quality musicals that have stood the test of time; therefore there need be no plot for a movie such as this one. The story of the development of the MGM musical is told as chronologically as possible; and the film merely goes back and forth between the narrators speaking on camera and the priceless film clips from these great movie musicals. Don't be fooled, however; That's Entertainment does a stupendous job of proving that MGM did indeed have "more stars than there are in all the heavens."

The DVD offers few extras. You get the theatrical trailer and an introduction by Robert Osborne of the Turner Classic Movies TV channel. One side of the DVD is widescreen and the other side has the movie in standard format without black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. If you want to view the film in widescreen format, for example, simply insert the DVD that side up into your DVD player and you will then be able to watch this movie in widescreen format. The same goes for the standard format. You won't need extras anyway, the film stands so tall and so strong on own that you won't feel disappointed in the slightest when you finish watching it!

If you want to find out what REALLY good musicals and movie production are all about, That's Entertainment is an excellent place to start. I highly recommend this film not just for movie buffs but also for people who want to begin the serious study of the development of Hollywood films and especially the greatest of Hollywood musicals.

That's Entertainment.......2007-03-14

Both 1 and 2 are outstanding. I got them to show my grandchildren that movies were at once wholesome and entertaining. The likes of which we will never see again.

Great stuff.......2006-12-20

This is really two movies in one. The first is the documentary about the history of MGM musicals which starts out a bit slowly before you get to the good stuff. There are quite a few scenes where still living Hollywood retirees walk towards the camera on the steps of office blocks, like car dealership commercials and start talking to the camera, before fading to voice over, and then to the actual clips. This is interesting stuff for people who like documentaries.

Then there is another movie trying to get out, which is a wonderful compendium of the best song and dance and production numbers from a slew of MGM musicals. The best scenes are absolutely stunning and feature Fred Astaire, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly, and the amazing Make Them Laugh number by Donald O'Connor from Singing in the Rain. Also some nice stuff from Gigi. This movie has a wider general appeal, so it is a pity that there is not an all clips movie.

I suppose the on screen appearences of the retired stars would have been a nice treat for the original viewers in the 70's, when the stars were still alive, but now that they are gone it is the actual scenes that we want to see.

Still, this is great stuff.

MGM Nostalgia.......2006-07-27

This was the compilation which launched a renewed interest in the great MGM musicals. Admittedly, the great days of the movie musical had long ended in 1974, when this tribute first appeared. However, some of us had never seen the original films and it was wonderful to see and hear tantalizing excerpts from MGM's vast library.

Jack Haley, Jr. produced and edited "That's Entertainment" and utilized a number of major stars who had worked at MGM. The studio was about to undergo a major change with the demolition of its backlot and the eventual sale of numerous costumes and props. MGM was sadly declining in 1974. This film at least reminded us of how much MGM had contributed to the American cinema.

The overture, which was played at the original showing and is included on the video, was actually arranged and conducted by Henry Mancini, who began his career scoring horror films at Universal before going to to write sophisticated, memorable scores at various studios.

Frank Sinatra begins the tribute with four versions of "Singing in the Rain," first the rather quaint and primitive 1929 version of Cliff Edwards in "Hollywood Review," followed by renditions by Jimmy Durante, Judy Garland, and finally Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. He is then seen walking out of MGM's Thalberg Building, the rather imposing executive offices where so many stars were introduced to studio boss Louis B. Mayer.

Mayer created the Freed Unit, which specialized in musicals and operettas, and he gave producer Arthur Freed remarkable freedom to make family-suitable movies, utilizing virtually every star on the lot except Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, and Lon Chaney. At the end of her career Garbo actually did dance in an MGM musical, while Chaney died prematurely after making his talkie debut in a remake of "The Unholy Three."

Most of the first musicals weren't very good, as is acknowledged in this compilation. The scenes from some of the early musicals demonstrate the limited technical capabilities and perhaps MGM's own uncertainty on how to best produce musicals. In time, as sound recording and cinemaphotography improved, MGM was able to utilize real singers and dancers, after brief attempts to use Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, and James Stewart in musicals. Yet, as Elizabeth Taylor recalls, even she was put in a musical and asked to sing, despite a rather limited singing voice. These examples are perhaps just curiosity pieces.

The real highlights are the many, many wonderful excerpts from the great musicals with the likes of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Eleanor Powell, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Durante, etc. These examples led to a revival in the full films through showings on various television stations and eventually on Turner Classic Movies, as well as periodic showings in actual movie theaters.

Debbie Reynolds introduces a memorable excerpt from the black and white film of MGM's 25th anniversary luncheon, in which most of the contract players were assembled in a huge soundstage. This 1949 film gives a good idea of the famous statement that MGM had "more stars than there are in the heavens."

Little actual restoration of the films was done in 1974, so some of the examples have faded or uneven color and the sound quality varies considerably. Nevertheless, this film presents a wonderful overview of the best of MGM's great movies and it was so successful that it paved the way for two more "That's Entertainment" films, which are also available on DVD.

Average customer rating:

Charisse is a bonus to any film, a compliment of any arm, a true gem...
By no means a miss, but not exactly a smash hit. Fred Astaire's last leading man role in a movie musical
For song & dance fans only
the End of Fred Astaire
Enjoyable light entertainment.

Silk Stockings
Starring: Fred Astaire , Cyd Charisse , Janis Paige , Peter Lorre , and George Tobias
Director: Rouben Mamoulian , and Roy Mack
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition) with Slipcover
You Were Never Lovelier [Region 99]
Daddy Long Legs
You'll Never Get Rich [Region 99]
Broadway Melody of 1940

ASIN: B00008AOWJ
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Amazon.com

Fred Astaire took one of his final musical turns in this delightful 1957 comedy, a cold war update of the classic Ninotchka. Cyd Charisse, having previously wrapped her endless legs around Fred in The Band Wagon, plays the Greta Garbo role: a humorless Soviet functionary who sternly refuses the allure of Paris… for a while, anyway. Like some of the first widescreen musicals, Silk Stockings feels a little slowed down by the horizontal format, but nothing can dim the sparkle of Astaire and Charisse, nor quench the razzmatazz of Janis Paige. Paige and Astaire assess the current state of movies by singing that films today need "glorious Technicolor, breathtaking CinemaScope, and Stereophonic sound!" In the hands of Cole Porter, that phrase becomes wonderfully musical--and by the way, it's nice to see the composer identified with so many breezy 1930s songs staying au courant in the age of Sputnik and television. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Charisse is a bonus to any film, a compliment of any arm, a true gem..........2007-01-14

Cyd Charisse, along with Vera-Ellen and Ann Miller, was one of the premier dancing stars of the 1940's and 1950's...

Known for her cool sex appeal, Cyd Charisse has a beautiful face, a perfect figure, and a thrilling musicality... She is the American cinema's lyrical dancing beauty with a lovely flow of movements and crystalline footwork, a bonus to any film, a compliment of any arm, a true gem... The sensitivity and eloquence of character she projects as a dancer found great echo in her roles as an acclaimed ballerina capable of expressing herself to the entire audience with a flick of the wrist, tapering her high extensions into a musical phrase like a painter controlling a fine sable brush...

When she danced 'La Bamba' and 'Flaming Flamenco' with Ricardo Montalban in Richard Thorpe's "Fiesta," she excelled in technical dynamics... But in 'Broadway Rhythm Ballet,' number from "Singin' in the Rain," Stanley Donen's camera followed the leg up to the figure of a seductive Dancer, a gangster's moll: Charisse was beautiful, bewitching exotic nightclub performer and city vamp, teasing Gene Kelly by balancing his straw hat on the end of her foot, and leaving us all breathless...

In 'Silk Stockings' she is a humorless, unromantic and cold, a seriously-austere Russian envoy who is sent from Moscow to check three Russian emissaries who, in turn, have orders to bring back with them a Soviet composer about to lend his talents to an American movie producer...

A 'beautiful dynamite,' Charisse warms to the appeal of romance, and Fred Astaire, to luxury, jazz, and French champagne... The chemistry was there when they danced the 'Paris Loves Lovers,' number in which the suave Astaire awakens her interest in life and the City of lights, but in the title song where she throws off her cold uniform for her first fine pair of silk stockings and laces, Charisse, (the very serious and dedicated Ninotchka), turns into an explosion of talent and glamor, with the qualities of a scintillating star, radiantly charming and sweet, filling the screen with bravura, energy and spark...

Peter Lorre, Jules Munshin and Joseph Buloff are the three Kremlin agents, the trio of 'clowns' who become fond of freedom and the pleasures of Paris...

Janis Paige is delightfully amusing as the temperamental movie star for whom producer Astaire was preparing a musical about Napoleon and Josephine...

'Silk Stockings' has definite virtues, the foremost being Fred Astaire... Although worried about being ageless for the role, Astaire sings 'All of You' to Charisse with all of his old ardent feelings, dances beautifully with her in a deserted movie studio to 'Fated to Be Mated,' and joins Janis Paige, playing 'America's Swimming Sweetheart,' in Cole Porter's delicious 'Stereophonic Sound.' His solo to 'The Ritz Roll 'n' Rock,' in which he wears his trademarked top hat and tails, is a proof of his grace, sophistication and talent...

For all its merits, Mamoulian's 'Silk Stockings' has a degree of elegance and sophistication, but mostly a sweet sadness, the end of a living legend, in which Fred Astaire appears in his last great musical role...

By no means a miss, but not exactly a smash hit. Fred Astaire's last leading man role in a movie musical.......2006-09-06

There are a number of good things about Silk Stockings, but there also is a professional finality about the movie that makes it easier to observe than to be delighted by it. It was one of the last of the big MGM musicals coming from Arthur Freed's production unit. It was the last musical Fred Astaire made as the lead. It was the last film directed by Rouben Mamoulian. It was based on the last Broadway musical Cole Porter wrote. Silk Stockings also was used to make a statement about the excesses some thought were ruining films and music...the advent of rock and roll and the technological changes in films with wide screen and stereo sound. It even takes a crack at the fashion for ballet in many musicals. You've got to be very clever and original to successfully parody things which are already self-parodies. Silk Stockings, even with its many entertaining moments, isn't that clever.

The story is based on Ninotchka, the female Soviet commissar who comes to Paris and finds romance reluctantly...and then enthusiastically. Paris is presented as a place where decadence was never more innocent and persuasive. Steve Canfield (Fred Astaire) is a Hollywood producer in Paris who plans to make a film starring a famous film star (Janis Paige), using the music of a famous Soviet composer who isn't thrilled at returning to Moscow. Three Soviet bureaucrats (Peter Lorre, Jules Munshin and Joseph Buloff), bumblers all, have been sent to retrieve him...but they fall prey to the charms of Paris, too. So one of the toughest, most dedicated commissars is sent to bring them all back. She is Nina Yoshenko (Cyd Charisse), and she is as humorless as a training manual. Canfield piles on the charm, Ninotchka finally softens, romance blossoms. And then, of course, a misunderstanding arises. Ninotchka returns to Moscow, but a bit of sly dealing by Steve gets her back to Paris. The misunderstanding is solved, love blossoms anew, and East-West relations, at least for Steve and Ninotchka, warm up considerably. Marriage is just a kiss and a dance away.

One of the things that seems so odd is that, for a Fred Astaire film, Astaire spends a good deal of time doing knee drops, full-length on-the-floor sprawls and athletic dance moves that limit the sophisticated and smooth Astaire style. He was 59 when he made the picture, and this might explain the relative shortness of some of the sequences. Still, while he is assured and immensely watchable (and while he can still do wonders with a cane), three major dance productions he is in just seem choppy.

Most of the songs from the Broadway show were retained and Porter wrote a couple of new ones. It's become routine with Porter to say that whatever his latest show was, the score was never one of his best. In this case, it's true. The romantic songs are great, but the topical speciality numbers just seem tired.

--"Too Bad" is a raucous song and dance involving the three Soviet flunkies, Steve and three ladies Steve brought to convince the flunkies they don't need to hurry to go back to Moscow. There's a nice sequence involving Astaire dancing with each of the women. Watching Peter Lorre gamely taking part, however, I didn't find very funny. He had health problems, was over-weight and it showed.

--"Paris Loves Lovers" is a charming song Astaire sings to Charisse, and then she counterpoints in the reprise.

--"Stereophonic Sound," for me, just isn't particularly clever or funny. Janis Paige plays a character who has no subtlety, and she delivers the song the same way. This is the first of the production numbers that have Astaire sliding under desks and dropping onto the floor.

--"It's a Chemical Reaction, That's All." This clever little throw away is used by Ninotchka to explain to Steve that love is nothing more than predictable chemistry.
When the electro-magnetic of the hemale
Meets the electro-magnetic of the female,
If right away she should say, 'This is the male,'
It's a chemical reaction, that's all.

And though you fascists may answer with kisses
The same applies when you're mister and missus.
Hey diddle diddle with middle class kisses.
It's a chemical reaction that's all.

--Which leads immediately to one of Porter's first-class songs, "All of You," which includes the naughty line that sends schoolboys to sniggering every time they hear it. The song is sung by Astaire to a skeptical Charisse.
I love the looks of you, the lure of you.
I'd love to make a tour of you,
The arms, the eyes, the mouth of you,
The east, west, north, and the south of you.

I'd love to gain complete control of you
And handle even the heart and soul of you.
So love at least a small percent of me, do.
'Cause I love all of you.

--"Satin and Silk," a speciality number for Paige.

--"Silk Stockings." This is one of Porter's great brooding, throbbing latin melodies, danced by Cyd Charisse.

--"Without Love" is such a paean to the wholesome hetero love of a woman for a man that Porter must have had a great time writing the lyrics.

--"Fated to Mated" is a jaunty song sung by Astaire to Charisse which leads into an extended dance routine for them. The dance is the second number that winds up more athletic than we're used to.

--"Josephine," another speciality number for Paige, much abbreviated from the Broadway version.

--"Siberia," a not-too-funny specialty number for Lorre, Munshin and Buloff.

--"The Red Blues." This is probably the second least inspired number by Porter. It's redeemed by a driving arrangement, vivid choreography and a knock-out performance by Charisse. She was a skilled, precise dancer who could handle any steps they gave her. She does a great job here.

--"The Ritz Roll and Rock." Astaire is said to have asked Porter to come up with a big finale number that would poke fun at all the changes in the musical scene that had been happening in the Fifties. This was the result and, to my view, it simply isn't very good. The song lacks cleverness and wit. Astaire was always expert, but this has him starting out in a classic white tie and tails pose, then sends him spinning on the floor and finishing by smashing his top hat with his fist. As Cyd Charisse said years later in one of the extras on the DVD, "Though Fred was wonderful, it was clear that the age he had come to emulate was over." This number just doesn't do the job.

Astaire, as always, is first class. Charisse is easy to look at and a fine dancer. George Tobias, as a commissar in Moscow and Ninotchka's boss, gives a sly and dead-pan performance. Some of Porter's songs are very good. Mamoulian brought the film in on time and under budget. And Silk Stockings was a success with ticket buyers.

The DVD transfer is excellent. There are several light-weight extras, the best of which is a 1934 musical short based on Porter's Fifty Million Frenchman. It stars Bob Hope and a singer-dancer named Dorothy Stone. It only runs 21 minutes but it features four fine Porter songs from the show, including Hope singing "You Do Something to Me." At any excuse for a cue, a group of chorus girls and boys prance in to dance with that endearingly clunky style of early musicals.

For song & dance fans only.......2005-05-11

For those like me who are exploring the world of old movies for the first time, there is an excellent list at the NY Times website called "The 1000 best films ever made." This is one of those films, and I'm enjoying following their recommendations as opposed to just clicking on TCM or AMC and seeing whatever's on.

But that doesn't mean I always agree with those recommendations. I'm not particularly a fan of this genre, so it takes something really special to appeal to me. If this describes you too, skip "Silk Stockings" and go directly to Fred & Ginger's earlier films "Top Hat" and "Swing Time." Although this film with Fred & Cyd Charisse has its moments (Janis Paige gets some laughs, Charisse has a terrific solo dance number where her dour Communist character finally gets into those silk stockings, and this is the only place you'll ever see Peter Lorre sing and dance), ultimately it just drags. One could never say that about the above-mentioned Fred & Ginger classics.

Even the score by the legendary Cole Porter has zero memorable tunes...again, unless this type of film is your cup of tea, in which case it'll appeal to you. As for me, by the final half-hour I was continually amazed the film wasn't over yet, as another scene and then yet another scene started up while I was hoping for "The End." And it's actually surprising to me to find that this film is considered a comedy; other than Paige, I got zero laughs out of it. And Astaire, now middle-aged in 1957, is a shadow of his former self. Ultimately I just shut it off before the ending because I was falling asleep, so even though the film has its moments I give it only one star. A sleeping pill deserves no more.

the End of Fred Astaire.......2005-03-01

Fred Astaire has always been a performer who's work is very close to my heart. The last real Fred Astaire movie (excluding his geriatric non-singing, non-dancing or non-starring roles) is 1957's "Silk Stockings".

I was a little afraid to watch Silk Stockings at first. Sure, it had a Cole Porter score supervised by Andre Previn, and Hermes Pan choreography, and, sure, Fred made fabulous movies even at that age ("the Bandwagon", "Daddy Long Legs"), but I knew it was Fred's last, and I didn't want to know why. Now I know what a pleasure I was depriving myself of.

"Silk Stockings" is a musical remake of "Ninotchka", a 1939 Greta Garbo picture. It's about a serious stern young russian woman, sent as an envoy to nab a russian composer living illegally in Paris. The composer is betraying his russian classical heritage by writing music for a low brow movie musical. The director of this movie, played by Fred Astaire, distracts the pretty young russian (Cyd Charisse) with the wonders of Paris, classy night clubs, and dancing to jazz. In falling for him, her strict heartless personality melts away.

This movie was produced at the height of the cold war, and the height of Hollywood blacklisting, and it's commie-bashing could make some uncomfortable. To me, tho