Dorothy Hart

Average customer rating:

The architype of police procedurals - and, film noir to boot
One of Eight Million Stories
no truer depiction of new york was ever caught on screen
Murder mystery in New York
The Naked City - Dassin - Hellinger - NYC - GREAT

Naked City - Criterion Collection
Starring: Barry Fitzgerald , Howard Duff , Dorothy Hart , Don Taylor , and Frank Conroy
Director: Jules Dassin
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

All | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

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

Brute Force (Criterion Collection)
Green for Danger - Criterion Collection
49th Parallel - Criterion Collection
Army of Shadows - Criterion Collection
The Third Man - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Edition)

ASIN: B000M2E3GI
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Amazon.com

"Ladies and gentlemen, the motion picture you are about to see is called The Naked City." With a helicopter shot slowly closing in on Manhattan, producer Mark Hellinger's staccato narration introduces the film ("It was not photographed in a studio . . .") and continues throughout like a documentary commentator with a literary flair. It's a conceit that serves this police story nicely, giving the patina of realism to this deglamorized look at the work of the homicide squad. Barry Fitzgerald reigns over the film with his jovial good humor as a veteran detective investigating the murder of a high-living model. He has few clues and fewer suspects, until he cracks the story of big-talking Howard Duff and throws some light on his shady past. Jules Dassin, who had just come off the shadowy, expressionist Brute Force, peels away those flourishes to shoot in a straightforward style influenced by the Italian neo-realists and the contemporary American newsreels. The film is rich in supporting performances by soon-to-be-famous character actors--Arthur O'Connell, James Gregory, Paul Ford--but the city itself becomes the film's most vivid character. Shot entirely on location in New York City, the distinctive cityscape looms over practically every shot and injects the film with a defining sense of place (cinematographer William Daniels won an Oscar for his work). You can see the roots of The French Connection in the bustling city scenes and the exciting foot chase finale on an elevated walkway. --Sean Axmaker

Description

"There are eight million stories in the Naked City," as the narrator immortally states at the close of this breathtakingly vivid film—and this is one of them. Master noir craftsman Jules Dassin and newspaperman-cum-producer Mark Hellinger's dazzling police procedural was shot entirely on location in New York City, as influenced by Italian neorealism as American crime fiction. A double Academy Award-winner, The Naked City remains a benchmark for naturalism in noir, living and breathing in the promises and perils of the Big Apple, from its lowest depths to its highest skyscrapers.

Customer Reviews:

The architype of police procedurals - and, film noir to boot.......2007-06-04

A murder.
The evidence.
The investigation.
Red herrings.
Resolution.

This film's DNA runs through all that followed - from Dragnet to Law & Order.
Buy this film if you love 1948 NYC and Irish detectives - a great film!

One of Eight Million Stories.......2007-05-07

This landmark film, energetically directed by Jules Dassin not long before the McCarthy witch-hunts forced him out of the U.S., deserves the typically classy Criterion treatment. As we have now come to expect of all Criterion versions, the print has been beautifully restored and meticulously annotated. Movies of any decade do not hold up equally well; "Naked City" is flawed by producer Mark Hellinger's narration--often hammy and too much "on-the-nose"--and some dated performances. On the other hand, the police procedural still draws you in, the music score is superb, and the noirish yet documentary-quality of post-war New York City makes for a wondrous time-capsule. (Thank God the move was shot in black and white. Color would have ruined it.) Like the place and people it captures, ""The Naked City" is an imperfect but very good movie.

no truer depiction of new york was ever caught on screen.......2007-05-05

just an all-around great movie! jules dassin directed this groundbreaking film, shot in and around late 1940s new york city: a decade too early for me to remember its reality, but still close enuf in time for me to sense just how accurately it was caught. any fan of procedural television cop shows of today (the "law & order" or "csi" franchises most prominent among them) should go take a look at this to understand where they came from; tho the immature eye might view this earlier version as "primitive" in some senses, that would be akin to a fan of adam sandler disparaging chaplin. barry fitzgerald is wonderfully schlumpfy as the long-time detective working his way thru a homicide investigation, even making a misstep or two along the way. great supporting cast, great editing, great writing, great cinematography, &c. -- and neat extras on the dvd, highlighted by a long interview with the still going strong dassin, whos a hoot! this is a must see.

Murder mystery in New York.......2007-05-02

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Naked City is a film about a murder in New York City. The film, told partially in a narrative style later spawned a TV series.

The film has many good scenes of 1940's New York City and is one of the my favorite films released on the Criterion Colletion.

The DVD includes a theatrical trailer, a Jules Dassin appearance at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a stills gallery, an interview with NYU film professor Dana Polan, and an analysis of the movie's filming locations.

This release is very good and I highly recommend it.

The Naked City - Dassin - Hellinger - NYC - GREAT.......2007-04-21

The Criterion Collection Edition includudes aa audio commentary by the film's writer Malvin Wald, and so many other extras that this Jules Dassin Directed noirish police story is a must have. Producer Mark Hellinger's narration is without equal and the main players Barry Fitzgerald, Don Taylor, Howard Duff are in top form. Great B/W Photography by William Daniels. Director Dasin, Screenwriter Albert Maltz were soonblacklisted from making Hollywood films due to their Communist Party, USA membership, and Producer Hellinger died within a week of the film's opening in Los Angeles.

Forgotten Noir Collector's Set (Arson Inc. / Loan Shark / Portland Expose / Shadow Man / Shoot to Kill / They Were So Young)

Average customer rating:

Excellent Package of Obscure Film Noir
Not the Noir-est, But Purty Durn Good

Forgotten Noir Collector's Set (Arson Inc. / Loan Shark / Portland Expose / Shadow Man / Shoot to Kill / They Were So Young)
Starring: Robert Lowery , Anne Gwynne , Edward Brophy , Marcia Mae Jones , and Douglas Fowley
Director: William A. Berke , and Seymour Friedman
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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

Hammer Film Noir Collector's Set (Bad Blonde / Blackout / The Gambler and the Lady / Heat Wave / Man Bait / Stolen Face)
Forgotten Noir Collector's Set 2 (Man From Cairo / Mask of the Dragon / FBI Girl / Tough Assignment / I'll Get You / Fingerprints Don't Lie)
Film Noir - The Dark Side of Hollywood (Sudden Fear / The Long Night / Hangmen Also Die / Railroaded / Behind Locked Doors)
Fox Film Noir, Vol. 19: Vicki
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 3 (Border Incident / His Kind of Woman / Lady in the Lake / On Dangerous Ground / The Racket)

ASIN: B000HC2LLW
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Package of Obscure Film Noir.......2007-03-27

Since I wasn't around when any of these films were current and because they are derided by many as "B" films and thus sank into obscurity, I had neither seen nor heard of any of these films when I bought the Forgotten Noir Collector's Set. As luck would have it, this set turned out to be money well spent. Though most of these films will never be considered classics, each of them is enjoyable in its own way.
Here are my favorites from most to least:
1)They Were So Young: Here is a film the topic of which is still of contemporary interest: White slavery. Though the national origins of today's white slaves lie chiefly in Eastern Europe, viewers will see that the false promises that lure impoverished and/or naive young women to seek employment abroad are much the same. This film is full of suspense, double-dealing, and official corruption. Recalcitrant girls who refuse to service wealthy clients are bundled off to service a rabble of coffee plantation laborers on an itinerant riverboat. But one girl refuses to play the game and with the aid of a man she had spurned, a little luck, and an undercover Brazilian agent she cracks the forced prostitution ring wide open. Well-acted, suspenseful and very believable. 5 stars.
2)Shadow Man:A fine English murder intrigue and long on noir. Well acted on all fronts. An ingenious story. 5 stars.
3)Shoot to Kill: Official corruption and double dealing are the name of the game. But fitting ends come to those who deserve them. Rival gangs of thugs seeking to control city are ruthless as is the district attorney to be whose overarching ambition leads ultimately to his deserved demise. 4 stars.
4)Portland Expose: A powerful national gang of crooks sweeps away the local petty one in a play for control of vice in Portland. One club owner in a desireable location is unwittingly sucked in when he allows the local gang to first get its foot in the door installing pinball machines. But the new gang wants to go all out:gaming, prostitution, and an increasing share of the profits. Union pickets(considered sacred at that time)then threats against his family ultimately bring the straight-laced club owner to heel. But he and his family are confronted by increasing danger including an attempted rape of the daughter by a convicted sex-criminal, a gang member who can't stay away from the "dollies". The enraged club owner fights back and with the help of some honest police officials and the muscle of some uncorrupted union leaders beats the crime syndicate. An excellent film which loses a star from the corny "civic-minded" Dragnet style intro and ending as well as the unbelievable scene in which the club-owner's daughter forgives a date who earlier suggested a tryst in a motel since she surely must "get around" because of the "wide-open" kind of establishment her family runs. C'mon, how much cornier can it get? A real woman would tell him to take a permanent hike after smacking his smirking face. 4 stars.
5)Arson Inc: More civic-minded fustian to introduce a story about a crime which is still common today. Fireman recently promoted to the arson unit goes deep underground to investigate a rash of fires, reported and unreported, that result in fraudulent insurance claims. The crime itself is everyday and its cost high, but the storyline here is a little dubious. Then there is the unwitting girlfriend who as always ends up in the middle of things and that corny grandmother who is just silly. Still, the movie is largely well-acted and often suspenseful. 4 stars.
6)Loan Shark: Payday loans can be deadly and this film shows just how deadly they can be. Never take one out! 4 stars.
Although four of these films received only four stars, I give the set five stars overall on the basis of price, quality of film transfer, the overall quality of my favorite two, and the general entertainment value of the collection. I will be sure to view each of these movies more than once and once you get this you will want to do the same.

Not the Noir-est, But Purty Durn Good.......2007-03-07

This is a collection of six movies that most of us "Boomers" saw over and over again on TV in the early 1950s.

PORTLAND EXPOSE is the only real non-Lippert entree, and a fairly suspensful drama that was well ahead of the times as far as the material it was presenting...vice, corruption, attempted rape, etc.

THEY WERE SO YOUNG concerns the White Slave Trade in South America. It is of particular interest because it features an international cast, a young Raymond Burr, and Scott Brady...Brady sure looks a lot like Ray Liotta!

LOAN SHARK features a very mature George Raft as an ex-con infiltrating the money lending racket. You get to see how tires are made first hand as he works his way into the mob.

SHOOT TO KILL and ARSON INC. are perhaps the weakest link in this chain, but remain good watchable crime dramas, albeit short on the noir.

The real gem in this package is Cesar Romero in SHADOW MAN, an English made flick that features some nice plot twists, great acting all the way around, and a really nifty score, highlighted by harmoinca solos.

Of course, since this package comes from VCI you KNOW that the picture and sound quality will be superb.

Average customer rating:

My favorite all-time film
Amazing Acting
Excellent Acting and teaching tool
Bring this out on DVD!
When Will It Be on DVD?

Who Am I This Time?
Starring: Susan Sarandon , Christopher Walken , Robert Ridgely , Aaron Freeman , and Dorothy Patterson
Director: Jonathan Demme
Manufacturer: Monterey Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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

Puss in Boots
A Canterbury Tale - Criterion Collection
Reds (Special 25th Aniversary Collector's Edition)
Any Friend of Nicholas Nickleby Is a Friend of Mine
Under the Biltmore Clock

ASIN: B000F9RLG2
Release Date: 2006-08-22

Amazon.com essential video

Few actors invoking the title of their film as a line of dialogue have had quite the shattering effect that Christopher Walken does in this 1982, hour-long film by Jonathan Demme. As the painfully, painfully shy small-town fellow who comes to vivid life as the perpetual lead in community-theater productions, Walken's character breaks one's heart when he is asked to give his all yet again in another thespian triumph. This time, however, things are different: he meets his female counterpart in Susan Sarandon's equally retiring amateur actress. The two fall in love, a love most passionately expressed in the freedom of their stage lives, and Demme's film achieves a populist grace that fills out Kurt Vonnegut's original short story into street-level Lubitsch. One of Demme's most irresistible works, Who Am I This Time? is pure joy. --Tom Keogh

Description

Director Jonathan Demme, an Academy Award-winner, deftly weaves this endearing tale of love in bloom from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s story. Mix together a small town community theatre's shy leading man and the lovely telephone worker who moves into town and you have a perfect recipe for a delightful romantic comedy. Academy Award-winners Susan Sarandon and Christopher Walken star as the couple who discover that affairs of the heart on the stage may be a bit less complicated than continuing the romance off the stage. Written By: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Starring: Susan Sarandon (Academy Award Winner), Christopher Walken (Academy Award Winner) Directed By: Jonathan Demme (Academy Award Winner) Special Info: Part of the Short Story Collection II, Seen on PBS

Customer Reviews:

My favorite all-time film.......2007-03-11

I first saw this short film on PBS in the early-80's when Susan Sarandon and Christopher Walken were young (and so was I)! Written by Kurt Vonnegut, one of my favorite authors, it is like nothing any of these people have done before or since. Many actors become their characters, yet are shy off-stage. This story takes that idea to extremes in a touching way. Who Am I This Time takes place in a small town, and involves its community theatre, in which Christopher Walken's character is always the heartthrob leading man. Susan Sarandon travels with the telephone company, which brings her to this same small town for a few weeks. I hesitate to say much about the plot beyond this, so as not to give it away. Suffice to say, that the character development is superb, through the writing, the directing and the acting. Highly recommended if you are a fan of Walken, Sarandon, or Vonnegut, or even if you just want to see a great little film.

Amazing Acting.......2004-11-27

I have acted and directed for many years and just saw this film. It is an extraordinary piece that provides a demonstration of how acting works -- and it does so in a very short amount of time and in an engaging way. Walken is pure genius in his body language, facial expressions, use of his voice, everything an actor needs to perform well. I don't think I have ever seen (or ever will see again) such amazing acting. The story is cute and touching, but it is merely a vehicle for the stars to shine, which they do - brilliantly. See this movie and -- please, someone, put it on DVD.

Excellent Acting and teaching tool.......2004-07-15

I use this video in conjunction with a Shakespeare writing assignment I do in my English classroom. The students always mark this video as one of their favorites. They love the characters and it really helps them with their own performances--in acting and writing.

Bring this out on DVD!.......2003-05-27

A great, funny movie with some actors who went on to have amazing careers. I can't wait for the DVD. This is one of my favorite movies.

When Will It Be on DVD?.......2003-03-13

Someone once said that a good poem would "take off the top of your head." This little flick did that to me, when I was a young and impressionable student who stumbled across a PBS film festival, and I'd love to have the same experience again -- preferably with a DVD version of "Who Am I This Time?" Twenty years ago, I had no idea who Christopher Walken or Susan Sarandon were, but their understated yet passionate -- pulsating! -- acting left a big impression. Sit back, take a sip of a warm, fruity wine, and enjoy this little gem.

Average customer rating:

Rita is really Beautiful in this movie but the movie is so so
Heavenly Goddess Steps Down To Earth
Down to Eart 1947
She puts the ants in the dancer's pants
A Must For All Rita Hayworth Fans

Down to Earth [Region 99]
Starring: Rita Hayworth , Larry Parks , Marc Platt , Roland Culver , and James Gleason
Director: Alexander Hall
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Satire | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Music in My Heart
The Loves of Carmen
Cover Girl [Region 99]
You Were Never Lovelier [Region 99]
Angels Over Broadway

ASIN: B0001L3MEO
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Amazon.com

Rita Hayworth really was a screen goddess in the late 1940s--so why not cast her as Terpsichore, the goddess of dance? That's the premise of this splashy Technicolor musical, which borrows some devices (and cast members) from Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Rita descends to earth to inject authenticity into a Broadway show about Terpsichore, posing as an actress and turning the head of impresario Larry Parks (then in the brief moment between his Jolson Story smash and his blacklisting). This leads to an overblown, pretentious out-of-town tryout, an amusing sequence that predicts the highbrow disaster in The Band Wagon. In general, this film is funnier than its reputation, although it doesn't add up to anything and the song score is tepid (with one delightfully weird number where Rita considers bigamy with Parks and dancer Marc Platt). And Rita? Very creamy looking in a series of lavish gowns--and hardly down to earth. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Rita is really Beautiful in this movie but the movie is so so .......2006-06-23

If you are a Rita fan this is a must see for you. The camera loves her, thats the treat here. The movie and songs aren't that good, the story is really empty and not interesting except for Rita. What a real Goddess she will always be to me!!!!

Heavenly Goddess Steps Down To Earth.......2006-04-23

After the success of "Gilda", Columbia put their superstar Rita Hayworth in this musical remake of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan". It did well at the box office, although in later years it has been panned by many as silly, far-fetched fare. I personally don't have a problem with it - it's not on par with Rita's earlier musicals, but it is very entertaining. The color is lush, and Hayworth is breathtakingly beautiful, and certainly suited to play the goddess of music and dance, Terpsichore (her singing voice is again dubbed by Anita Ellis), and Larry Parks is adorable as the young Broadway producer who wants so desperately to succeed. George Macready, who played Hayworth's evil spouse in "Gilda" again appears here in a similar role (with comedic undertones) - his office even seems to be the same as in the earlier film. It's also fun to see William Frawley in a small but memorable role.

Parks, sadly, had a short-lived career, as it was virtually destroyed by the McCarthy witch hunts. And the romance is touching and even a little tear-inducing. The term "Heavenly Goddess" certainly applies to the lovely Rita. Adele Jergens is also great as the original dancer in the show that Kitty/Terpischore replaces. Not the best Columbia musical, but an off-beat film, and worth watching simply because of the dance sequences, color cinematography and Rita at her most enticing.

Down to Eart 1947.......2006-04-15

Its heaven on earth in this delightful musical comedy sequel to enormously successful " Here Comes Mr. Jordan 1941" . Rita Heyworth (1918-1987) plays incredibly angelic muse , inceensed at the notion that a Broadway musical is going to portray her as a modern living sexpot . She sets off for Earth to set the record straight and the results are a "mousing" . in 1946 , Columbia knew it had all the makings of a blockbuster by reworkng the "Here Comes Mr.Jordan" theme along with teaming up some of the original cast members with Hollywood brightest star, Rita Heyworth . The proscts might have been too promising , as they enabled Hayworth?s agent at the William Morris Agency to renegotiate her already lucrative studio contract .in DOWN TO EARTH , Rita Heyworth?s talent are absolutly show-stopping and with the realese of this film , its easy to see why she earned the reputation as Silver screen?s one and only love goddes . Do you need a better recommendation ! . Super ultra-resolution transfer quality pictures . Recommended

She puts the ants in the dancer's pants.......2005-10-18

Danny Miller (Larry Parks) is producing a musical that uses the nine muses as its theme. Even thought the film is in 1947 it has a fifties feel to it.

The real Terpsichore (Rita Hayworth) is upset over being portrayed as a swinging man hungry goddess. She will recruits Mr. Jordan (Roland Culver) and his Messenger 7013 (Edward Everett Horton) to help her go to earth and correct Danny's pretrial of Terpsichore.

Will she succeed? If so at what cost?

The characters are based upon the ones in "Here comes Mister Jordan" (1941). They even tie Rita Hayworth's name in as Kitty Pendleton. The same director is Alexander Hall.

A Must For All Rita Hayworth Fans.......2005-08-10

Although this film often seems a little unreal at the beginning it developes into one of a number of marvelous Rita Hayworth dancing extravaganza's! Its not my favourite Rita film but has many many attributes and is quite individual in storyline and approach. I would definately recommend buying this film and for Rita Hayworth fans like me its a must. Beautifully presented and worth the small price! Go on treat yourself!

Average customer rating:

Shirley Takes a Bow!
"Where's my present, Mr?"
The First Fox Film That Made Her A Star Shines In Living Color !
It is a fun film....
Shirley- Take A Bow

Baby Take a Bow
Starring: Shirley Temple , James Dunn , Claire Trevor , Alan Dinehart , and Ray Walker
Director: Harry Lachman
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Bright Eyes
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Little Miss Broadway
The Little Colonel
Curly Top (1935)

ASIN: B000FKPDXE
Release Date: 2005-11-22

Amazon.com

A classic convict-turned-good-guy story, this DVD rendition of the 1934 Baby Take a Bow has been nicely restored in its original black and white format as well as colored and remastered for a whole new look. Viewers choose whether to watch in color or black and white, but no matter which is chosen, Shirley Temple shines as the adorable Shirley Ellison, an ex-con's daughter who's full of sweetness, energy, and a touch of the mischievous. As Eddie Ellison (James Dunn) and his prison pal Larry Scott (Ray Walker) try to earn an honest living and make a new life with the women they love (Claire Trevor and Dorothy Libaire), they're constantly harassed by private investigator Welch (Alan Dinehart) and are unwillingly dragged into a crime by a just-released convict Trigger Stone (Ralf Harolde). A comic and suspenseful game of hide-and-seek sweeps viewers along to the conclusion of the film, punctuated by Shirley's rooftop birthday party where she and her father perform the memorable vocal-tap duet "On Account-A I Love You." Though the plot is aimed at adult audiences and the film dated by various details like Shirley's unattended play on the sidewalk and the distinct lack of child-proofing in her home, Baby Take a Bow is a classic film that's appealing to modern audiences ages 6 and older. --Tami Horiuchi

Description

Shirley's father is an ex-con trying hard to make an honest living by working as a chauffeur, But he runs into trouble when appears necklace disappears form his employer's home and the detective on the case decides he's guilty. Luckily, Shirley finds the pearls and winds up the case in short order. But not before she engages her father and the detective in the film's most enjoyable scene a hilarious game of hide and seek.

Customer Reviews:

Shirley Takes a Bow!.......2007-01-02

Two years into Shirley's career she achieved top billing in a movie, and deservedly so. James Dunn as Shirley's father Eddie Ellison is funny, as is Ray Walker as Larry Scott, a close friend of Eddie, but Shirley's cute antics are a memorable feature of this movie, the first of about thirty movies in which Shirley either received top billing or was a co-star.

Eddie Ellison is an ex-convict who has done his time. He has a good job as a driver for a wealthy man. After Larry Scott gets out of prison, Eddie helps him get a job with the same man. Things are going fine except for the presence of Private Investigator Welch (Alan Dinehart). Welch believes that Eddie and Larry are laying low until the right opportunity comes along. When a pearl necklace comes up missing from Eddie and Larry's employer, Welch does everything possible to make Eddie and Larry appear guilty. In the meantime, the real thief is getting away.

While the subject of this movie is relatively serious, the movie is played for laughs throughout. Shirley is cute and her antics on screen are funny and enjoyable every moment she is in front of the camera. However, I am reluctant to recommend this movie for children because of scenes in this movie involving guns and a large knife. Most adults, particularly fans of Shirley Temple, will find these scenes clever and both a little scary and a little funny.

Shirley's film career was expanding rapidly in 1934, the year of this movie. Shirley manages to charm her mother, her father, nearly everyone in the movie except Welch - another reason to dislike him, and the audience. If you want to see Shirley as she begins a phenomenal career, watch "Little Miss Marker" and then this movie and you will understand how she became the darling of Depression era America.

Enjoy!

"Where's my present, Mr?".......2006-12-05

Shirley Temple is the daughter of a former criminal (James Dunn) and a beautiful blonde (Claire Trevor). The three seem to be the perfect family, but father's past keeps catching up to him. There's a cop out to get him and a gangster on the loose hoping to enlist the help of anyone he can get, the shadier the better. Despite his resistance, the gangster finds a way to access the family through sweet little Shirley who thinks it is all a game.

Things certainly have changed since this film was made. No parent in their right mind would leave a four year old to play outside unattended with a known criminal on the loose.

This film certainly isn't what I expected it to be. It is more of an adult film than something geared toward children because of the mature subject.

Temple is very cute with her sweet smile and golden curls. Unfortunately, she seems a bit sad and her syrupy personality seems a bit forced. There are several scenes where we can see her smile quickly fade when her lines are delivered or when she is concentrating on her dancing. Perhaps she was being worked too hard or truly wasn't having fun. Nevertheless, she's very lovable.

It is unfortunate that the DVD is promoted as being in color and the black and white original is heralded as an extra feature. The color doesn't look awful, but it wasn't meant to be so. People should be able to appreciate the film as it was made, not a jazzed up version for the close-minded who refuse to see anything in black and white.

The First Fox Film That Made Her A Star Shines In Living Color !.......2006-07-08

At the age of only seven,young Shirley Temple made her first leading starring role for Fox Studios with 1934's "Baby Take A Bow" and thus a legendary child star was born to become the newest studio box-office attraction.Young Shirley lives with her mom (Claire Trevor) and ex-con dad (James Dunn).But when a pair of her dad's friends pearl necklace is stolen,it's up to him to catch the real crook and also convince himself that he isn't the thief he use to be years ago.Featuring wonderful strong performances and a great direction by Harry Lachman (Laurel & Hardy's "Our Relations" and "Dante's Inferno"),the film never loses its comedy stylings nor dramatic tone and highly fast-paced all the way.Highly recommended !

ABOUT THE DVD:
This fun film makes its wonderful DVD debut as part of the Voulme Two Shirley Temple DVD Collection of her beloved films.This DVD features both a restored black & white version as well as a brand-new digitally colorized version that completely blows away the horrid 1994 colorized VHS release.Legend Films has always done outstanding work on the colorization processing for the films they release as well as including the original B&W version too,but extras are nothing more than a lackluster effort (hence the four-star rating).As with the previous Temple releases from Fox and Legend,it contains both unrestored trailers for "Heidi" and "Little Miss Broadway".Despite the absence of many extras,owning both great transfers of the film on one disc makes this a must-have to any fan of classic film or to family film buffs,you won't be dissappointed with this release ! Well-recommended !

It is a fun film...........2005-12-21

I have been a fan of Shirley Temple for about 34 years. I love all of her films. Baby Take a Bow is one of her very first vehicles by herself ( coming off Stand Up and Cheer and Little Miss Marker). The film has typical Shirley fare with singing and dancing. James Dunn plays her father and Claire Trevor plays her mother. Basically, dad is an excon trying to live life on the straight and narrow and gets caught up in events that could get him back in jail. The scene in which Shirley is "Captured" by the bad guy is scary, but no scarier that what kids see in Disney films.

I am glad that Fox has released this films with both the original black and white and the colorized version. When Fox had released them on VHS originally, you could only have the colorized version, so I am glad that respect was given to the original medium. I was a little disappointed with the extras. I wish that they could have added a trailer for the film or a mini bio or clip of Shirley when she was younger. Overall, I am very pleased with this copy. If you are new to Shirley Temple, in my opinion the must see films are Bright Eyes and Poor Little Rich Girl.

Shirley- Take A Bow.......2005-01-26

Why can't they make more movies like Shirley does??? The classic family films that always have a happy ending???
This is one of Shirley's best in my opinon the on-screen dynamic you see between Shirley and her dad(Dunn) is present. Dunn is a great actor--for in this movie you do see him as Shirley's dad who worships his family and littel Shirley.
Shirley as always the entertainer does a ton of dancing in this scene including the famous "copy-cat" dance.
I gave four stars because I found the whole jewel-thief thing and hide and seek jewel thing boring-- me and my cousins fast forward through that one but, still it's a great movie.
Lots, of great on-screen chemistry and Shirley's dance. This is a precious film-- watch it with your kids...or buy the tape. You won't be disappointed if you lovve good clean fun!!!

Average customer rating:

PAJAMA PARTY: This Slumber Party is a Big Hit.
Not the best beach movie...
Frankie,Annette,Tommy Kirk,And Dorothy Lamour
Pretty much the greatest movie ever.
classic Beach Party film

Pajama Party
Starring: Tommy Kirk , Annette Funicello , Elsa Lanchester , Harvey Lembeck , and Jesse White
Director: Don Weis
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Teen | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Comedies | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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

Classic Sci-Fi | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Muscle Beach Party/Ski Party
Beach Blanket Bingo / How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (Midnite Movies Double Feature)
Beach Party/Bikini Beach
Ghost Of Dragstrip Hollow/The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (Midnite Movies Double Feature)
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini

ASIN: 0792846826
Release Date: 2000-09-05

Customer Reviews:

PAJAMA PARTY: This Slumber Party is a Big Hit........2006-09-25

_Pajama Party_ is the 4th entry in the "beach movie" series. _Pajama Party_ has it all: Throwaway songs, forgettable dialogue, poor dubbing, lousy twist music, ridiculous plot and plenty of semi-nude gyrating bodies. All of these attributes combine to make this movie totally enjoyable. Although _Pajama Party_ was an American International quickie, it has all the charm of a Disney movie during certain scenes. Maybe it's the old, familiar Disney characters, such as Elsa Lanchester and Tommy Kirk, in combination with Annette Funicello that help create this illusion.

In the "beach" flicks, Annette always played a chick named Dee Dee or Jennifer or Connie or Dolores. Whatever. Her names changed, but the characters she played were always the same. However, in _Pajama Party_, Annette finally exchanges her bulletproof beehive for a more flexible Greek goddess hairdo. Later on, she switches to a Jackie Kennedy bouffant. As usual, Annette wears an extremely modest Mother Hubbard-style Jensen one-piece swimsuit, but fortunately, her well-endowed girlfriends aren't nearly as inhibited.

The anamorphic widescreen transfer is superb. A narrow-screen version is also included.

Not the best beach movie..........2006-07-06

Most of the beach party movies were awesome--- Beach Party, Muscle Beach Party, Bikini Beach, Beach Blanket Bingo, even How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. However, this one was just random...

Annette was Dee Dee in all the others--- in this, she was Connie. Frankie barely got a part at all, and she was dating Jody McCrea; as Big Lunk, no less--- not even the loveable DeadHead. And, then Tommy Kirk. Now, I love Tommy Kirk, and I even loved he and Annette together in the Merlin Jones flicks. However... this one can't be lumped in with the other beach party movies. It just... CAN'T...

And, that is for the simple reason that it's totally different characters, different storylines, ect. It was like some sort of bizarre nightmare one of them may have been having...

Frankie,Annette,Tommy Kirk,And Dorothy Lamour.......2004-07-17

The best scenes are with Annette Funicello singing a song and Annette Funicello and Tommy Kirk singing a song and Dorothy Lamour playing a saleswoman in a dress store and singing a song.Mary Hughes the blonde and Mike Nader and Susan Hart are good in the film.Frankie Avalon is missed in the film.Although Annette's boyfriend in the film is Tommy Kirk, and he does Great in the role though Frankie Avalon is in the film though he is only in a small role in some scenes here and there of the film though the film is Great and has some fun scenes.Although Frankie Avalon has no songs with her Annette Funicello is good in the film with Tommy Kirk.

Pretty much the greatest movie ever........2003-06-25

This film really could not be improved even if the *entire* thing had featured Bobbi Shaw doing sit-ups by the pool and Susan Hart gyrating to boil punch in its bowl.

classic Beach Party film.......2002-09-25

PAJAMA PARTY is probably the second best-loved sequel of the original BEACH PARTY (the first has to be the quintessential BEACH BLANKET BINGO). The party moves indoors for the wonderful romp with Annette Funicello and the gang.

Connie (Annette Funicello) finds herself being chased by a handsome martian from Mars, Go-Go (Tommy Kirk), while trying to save her relationship with the self-obsessed Big Lunk (Jody McCrea). Thankfully, kindly dress-shop owner Aunt Wendy (Elsa Lanchester) is on hand to offer advice to the younger generation about matters of love and the heart.

Annette and the gang trade their beach threads for pajamas and baby-dolls in this very cute musical. Annette sings the classic standard "Stuffed Animal", while Donna Loren will have you jumping with "That's The Way It's Done".

Then there are fantastic cameos from film veterans Buster Keaton and Don Rickles; while Dorothy Lamour shows she could still 'cut a rug' with the best of them with her infectious number.

Interestingly, the "pajama party" of the title doesn't happen until the last 20 minutes of the picture! Followed by BEACH BLANKET BINGO.

Amazon.com

Description

New York City detectives Dan Muldoon (Barry Fitzgerald) and Jimmy Halloran (Don Taylor) are assigned to investigate the mysterious murder of a young woman. Following the leads in the case, they come upon a jewel theft ring that has been plaguing New York society. Muldoon and Halloran finally untangle the skein of thieves and discover the murderer to be one of the slain woman's cohorts in the jewel gang. When cornered by the detectives, there is a violent shoot-out.

Customer Reviews:

The architype of police procedurals - and, film noir to boot.......2007-06-04

One of Eight Million Stories.......2007-05-07

no truer depiction of new york was ever caught on screen.......2007-05-05

Murder mystery in New York.......2007-05-02

The Naked City - Dassin - Hellinger - NYC - GREAT.......2007-04-21

Average customer rating:

Shirley Takes a Bow!
"Where's my present, Mr?"
The First Fox Film That Made Her A Star Shines In Living Color !
It is a fun film....
Shirley- Take A Bow

Baby Take a Bow (Col)
Starring: Shirley Temple , James Dunn , Claire Trevor , Alan Dinehart , and Ray Walker
Director: Harry Lachman
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Alexander, John | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Dinehart, Alan | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Dunn, James | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Flavin, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Gordon, Mary | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Hinds, Samuel S | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

London, Tom | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Temple, Shirley | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Trevor, Claire | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Tucker, Richard | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Usher, Guy | ( U ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Walker, Ray | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Lachman, Harry | ( L ) | Directors | VHS | Video

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

Drama | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Bright Eyes
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Little Miss Broadway
The Little Colonel
Curly Top (1935)

ASIN: 6303364713
Release Date: 1995-05-03

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Shirley Takes a Bow!.......2007-01-02

"Where's my present, Mr?".......2006-12-05

The First Fox Film That Made Her A Star Shines In Living Color !.......2006-07-08

It is a fun film...........2005-12-21

Shirley- Take A Bow.......2005-01-26

Average customer rating:

My favorite all-time film
Amazing Acting
Excellent Acting and teaching tool
Bring this out on DVD!
When Will It Be on DVD?

Bacarella, Mike | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Ridgely, Robert | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Sarandon, Susan | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Walken, Christopher | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

General | Comedy | Genres | VHS | Video

General | Drama | Genres | VHS | Video

Demme, Jonathan | ( D ) | Directors | VHS | Video

Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Puss in Boots
A Canterbury Tale - Criterion Collection
Reds (Special 25th Aniversary Collector's Edition)
Any Friend of Nicholas Nickleby Is a Friend of Mine
Under the Biltmore Clock

ASIN: 630269924X
Release Date: 1998-11-11

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

My favorite all-time film.......2007-03-11

Amazing Acting.......2004-11-27

Excellent Acting and teaching tool.......2004-07-15

Bring this out on DVD!.......2003-05-27

A great, funny movie with some actors who went on to have amazing careers. I can't wait for the DVD. This is one of my favorite movies.

When Will It Be on DVD?.......2003-03-13

Average customer rating:

"My wife likes lonely young men."
Great Black & White Movie!
Wasted opportunity
Poor Monty!
Miss Lonelyhearts

Lonely Hearts (1982)
Starring: Montgomery Clift , Robert Ryan , Myrna Loy , Dolores Hart , and Maureen Stapleton
Director: Vincent J. Donehue
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Clift, Montgomery | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Coogan, Jackie | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Fawcett, Charles | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Hart, Dolores | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Loy, Myrna | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Overton, Frank | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Ryan, Robert | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Stapleton, Maureen | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Stevens, Onslow | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Wagenheim, Charles | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

General | Art House & International | Genres | VHS | Video

General | Drama | Genres | VHS | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | VHS | Video

Donehue, Vincent J | ( D ) | Directors | VHS | Video

Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

The Heiress (Universal Cinema Classics)
Bachelor Party (1957)
Big Lift (B&W)
The Young Lions
Night Must Fall (1937)

ASIN: 6301973224
Release Date: 1998-09-01

Customer Reviews:

"My wife likes lonely young men.".......2007-03-13

The film "Lonelyhearts" stars Montgomery Clift as Adam White, a young man who tries desperately to get a job working for the Chronicle newspaper. He befriends Florence Shrike (Myrna Loy), the lonely wife of the newspaper editor in a bar, and since he doesn't get anywhere with the paper through the normal channels, Adam hangs around the bar with Florence waiting for the opportunity to make his case for employment with her husband.

Adam and Shrike (Robert Ryan) finally meet, and Adam is given a job. Unfortunately, it's not the job he's imagined, and he's assigned the new "Miss Lonelyhearts" column giving lonely readers advice. Adam's girlfriend, Justy (Dolores Hart) tries to remain optimistic and insists that the column is just the beginning of something better, but Adam has a difficult time with his new job. Many of the letters are depressing and hopeless, but other reporters in the office find great hilarity in the painful letters received by the paper.

It soon becomes apparent that Shrike's relationship with Adam is a complicated one. The cynical Shrike, who mouths only bitter statements about the human race, considers Adam a "fraud." Shrike's marriage is poisoned by adultery, and Shrike's bitterness now encompasses all humankind. In many ways, Adam serves as Shrike's alter ego, and Shrike waits for the destruction of Adam's idealism as if he has a personal stake in Adam's loss of faith in human nature. Shrike sees Adam as a "scribbling punk trying to play the part of goody-two-shoes" and while he goads Adam at every opportunity, these cynical diatribes seem strangely self-destructive. And ultimately the key to Shrike's redemption is inexorably entwined with Adam's idealism.

Adam is quiet, retiring and damaged--all of these elements create a character that is not easy to play, and as a result Clift looks shell-shocked for most of the film. The film is based on the novel "Miss Lonelyhearts" by Nathanael West, and a great deal of the novel's bite has been removed in this script. As a result, the film is simultaneously more palatable--and much less interesting--displacedhuman

Great Black & White Movie!.......2007-03-11

A must for all Montgomery Clift fans. I liked it when I saw it on the late show thirty years ago and I like it today. It has a wonderful "noir" feel to it and will be appreciated by fans of black and white movies. He was a rare and wonderful actor.

Wasted opportunity.......2004-07-10

Based on one of the handful of great American novels - by Nathaniel West, the author of "Day of the Locust", who died very young - this film was a wasted opportunity that is interesting none the less. The cast is wonderful but the surrealistic novel is both adapted and directed as if it were a social reality tract. Clift is fine as a shattered center, uncomfortably true to his own life at the time, but he's truer to the source material than the film is, so seems at odds with it. Myrna Loy is wonderful in a part that hardly exists in the book, and could have been cut from the film. To give you an idea who should have directed this material, Cocteau would have been ideal. Or Ken Russell before he became Hollywood bloated. Other plays have been written from the novel, but it's a black poem, and like "Locust" perhaps no film could truly express it. All the same, see it, then find the book. It could be argued it's the greatest American art novel ever written, rivaled only by the work of James Purdy and Jane Bowles.

Poor Monty!.......2004-04-08

"Loneleyhearts" has two strong attributes in it's' favor: A solid plot premise and a very strong cast. The latter encompass Robert Ryan, Myrna Loy and Montgomery Clift. The story line concerns an advise columnist for the lovelorn who gets "slightly too involved" with one of his (married!) readers. The movie then proceeds directly downhill. None of the roles gel and the substantial talents of all 3 are wasted. The major problem with LH is that it was originally a play. The stage origins are patently obvious and there is absolutely NO transition to the screen. The lines are appropriate for a play but certainly not for a movie with any sort of action or flow. Ryan is wooden as a "cynical, big city editor who has seen it all". Loy plays his mousy, subjective wife and appears almost embarrassed at her inconsequential role. Clift is the hapless writer. The viewer expects some fireworks when his "admirer's" husband discovers their one night stand. The plot not only fails to thicken, it limply falls flat. LH was filmed in 1959, when Monty was still suffering physically and emotionally from his car crash. That much is starkly obvious here! The poor guy seems drugged. It is painful to watch him. We can all live with one poor movie. The only tragedy would be if viewers don't realize the superior work these 3 have done in so many other films. For a rare treat, catch Ryan in the undershown 1973 release "Executive Action", about the JFK assassination.

Miss Lonelyhearts.......2001-07-15

In Patricia Bosworth's biography of Montgomery Clift, Clift is said to have hated the Dore Schary screenplay based on the novel by Nathaniel West and the play by Howard Teichman, calling it "Miss Lonelyhearts meets Andy Hardy", a joke on Schary as head of MGM. Whilst the treatment changes the fate of the Christ-like figure played by Clift, the character still suffers. He is burdened by the anguish of those who write to his advice column, his editor (Robert Ryan) is in pathological rage over the infidelity of his wife, his father is in jail for killing his Clift's mother, and his girlfriend is so controlling and possessive that she wants to know his "every thought". West's cynicism is prevalent in the Ryan character's ugliness - his contempt for humanity who he thinks are all fakes and frauds, and his humiliation of his wife as projected guilt over his own affairs. This all sounds pretty glum, and whilst I tend to agree with Clift's assessment of the Schary screenplay with the Clift romance with Dolores Hart as bland, one can be amused by the many ironies behind the scenes here. Casting Clift as a man who does not drink and one to dispense advice to the lost is laughable in light of Clift's alcoholism and shattered emotional state after his infamous car crash. However Clift remained a handsome man, perhaps even the change added character to his former face, and his shattered sensitivity makes his acting all the more remarkable. If him calling Hart "dear" and the way he leans on her reveals an essential falseness, the directness with Ryan more than compensates. Bosworth details the trouble the filmmakers had in capturing the scene where Clift punches someone, with Ryan finally providing the closeup, but Clift's pain afterwards is all too real. As Ryan's wife, Myrna Loy doesn't have much to do except be a masochist to Ryan's bile, but Maureen Stapleton is fun as a lonelyhearts letter writer who Ryan goads Clift into meeting. Stapleton's vengeful spite is very funny. Director Vincent J Donehue is said to have come from the theatre, which may explain the basic uncinematic style of the film, with the only notable visual image being a pan along a tree branch and back to suggest the passage of time.

Actress:

Actress

Actress