Esther Williams

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:

Take Me Out to the Ball Game 1949
fun fun fun!
They don't make them like this anymore...
"Strictly U.S.A"
A Musical Baseball Film That's Not About Baseball

Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Starring: Frank Sinatra , Esther Williams , Gene Kelly , Betty Garrett , and Edward Arnold
Director: Busby Berkeley
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Anchors Aweigh
On the Town
For Me And My Gal (Snap case)
Summer Stock
Cover Girl [Region 99]

ASIN: B00004TZS3
Release Date: 2000-09-19

Amazon.com

"From the moment you picked up that grounder and threw it to third, I knew it was love." Baseball and romance make a nifty double play in Take Me Out to the Ball Game, a bright bauble from the golden age of MGM musicals. The premise is a stretch: two members of a turn-of-the-century baseball team (Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra) are vaudeville performers in the off-season. Their ballclub is inherited by Esther Williams, causing much consternation among the boys and anticipating the plot line of Major League by 40 years.

Since swimming star Williams was always seen to best advantage dripping wet, the movie finds a way to get her into a hotel pool. Kelly, mugging mercilessly, executes an extended Irish solo dance (take that, Riverdance), and Sinatra, whose skinny frame is the source of many jokes in the script, is pursued by the irrepressible Betty Garrett and croons the ballad "The Right Girl for Me."

None of this is remotely plausible, and the Comden-Green songs don't stand the test of time, but the film is buoyant--and the period costumes and dazzling Technicolor are eye-popping. This was a reunion for Sinatra and Kelly after Anchors Aweigh (1945), and they would quickly team up again in the superior On the Town (1949), alongside Take Me Out costars Garrett and looming Jules Munshin. As in those films, Sinatra and Kelly dancing side-by- side are a delightful spectacle: Kelly effortlessly hitting his marks while Sinatra gamely tries to keep up. Take Me Out to the Ball Game was the last film directed by the legendary director-choreographer Busby Berkeley, who gets just one shot at a huge production number, a pseudo-Rodgers and Hammerstein tune, "Strictly U.S.A." Peanuts and Cracker Jack not included. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Take Me Out to the Ball Game 1949.......2006-04-12

Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) and Gene Kelly (1912-1996) play ball in big way as 1900s Vaudevillians who spend the winter flinging the onstage blarney and the Summer flinging the ol?horsehide for Baseballs world champ , The Wolves . Sinatra is second sacker Dennis Ryan and Kelly is shortstop Eddie O?Brien in this Busby Berkeley (1895-1976) directed romp that conbines baseball with that other All-American pastime: Romance , Esther Williams (1922- ) plays the new team owner and Betty Garrett (1919- ) is abaseball Annie with eyes for blue-eyed Ryan (Frankie Boy) . Kelly and Stanley Donen (1924- ) deft musical stagings ranged from softshoe duet charmer to exciting "barrel role" Kelly solo . Their work persuated producer Arthur Freed (1894-1973) to green-ligt their direction of the same year?s "On the Town 1949" . Here you have Baseball , Romance , Dancing and a Cult movie in one set ! . Transfer in High Quality pictures . Recommended

fun fun fun!.......2006-03-17

Breezy, delightful musical with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra in their third and final screen partnership. This time, they play baseball players who moonlight as vaudeville stars. The boys get a pleasant shock with their new team manager (Esther Williams) who of course creates fireworks when both players decide to make a `play' for her! Curiously enough, renowned "Million Dollar Mermaid" Williams spends most of her time out of the water in this film, only doing one brief swimming bit to the Title Song. Broadway comedy darling Betty Garrett (who also appeared with Kelly and Sinatra in ON THE TOWN) plays the secondary female lead and scores heavily with "It's Fate". Jules Munshin, Edward Arnold and Tom Dugan co-star.

Highly-recommended.

They don't make them like this anymore..........2005-06-22

I've been a big fan of classic Hollywood musicals as long as I can remember and I thought I had seen most of the great ones but somehow I missed seeing this one...I don't recall it ever being shown on TV and the only films I remembered seeing Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra in were "Anchors Aweigh" and "On The Town". But one day I was reading Esther Williams biography and discovered that she had made a picture with Kelly and Sinatra..Well..this peaked my curiosity and one day I decided to check Netflix to see if it was available and sure enough it was! So I checked it out and was I pleasantly surprised! What an immensely entertaining film! And seeing Betty Garrett swooning over Frank was a treat! I never realized how talented Ms. Garrett was! I know she was in "On The Town" with the guys but don't recall her role as being as big as the one she had in this film..I understand "On The Town" was made after this one but in my opinion..this one was much better! Kelly and Sinatra seem in fine form in this movie and there are many opportunities for the guys to showcase their remarkable talents! Jule Munshin is a treat as well with his hilarious mugging and wonderful chemistry with the guys! Just a wonderfully entertaining film with great musical numbers and great enthusiasm from the cast! They just don't make them like this anymore...

"Strictly U.S.A".......2004-09-04

This is an awesome movie! I think its better than Anchors Aweigh. Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra are two baseball players named Eddie O'Brien and Dennis Ryan who play for the Wolves. During the off-season Eddie and Dennis are vaudeville stars. When they return for the baseball season the whole team is horrifed to hear that the new owner K.C. Higgins wants to take an active part in coaching. As it turns out the K in K.C. Higgins happens to stand for Katherine (Esther Williams) so the new owner is a woman. Katherine dosn't fall for womanizer Eddie so the two don't get along at all!! Dennis does fall for her though, but Katherine isn't in love with him. Shirley Delwyn (Betty Garrett) has her eyes on Dennis and she won't give up on him! Also in the cast is Jules Munshin who plays Nat Goldberg, Dennis and Eddie's baseball pal.

This movie has a lot of great music.
The songs include "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" Frank and Gene sing this song as their vaudeville act. Also Williams sings this while swimming in the pool.
"Yes, Indeedy" The boys sing this song to the baseball team when they return from their vaudeville act. Its about their love life.
"O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg" Kelly, Sinatra, and Munshin sing this song! One of the best numbers!
"The Right Girl for Me" Sinatra sings this song to Williams.
"It's Fate, Baby" Garrett sings this to Sinatra to prove that they were meant for each other.
"Strictly USA" Probabley the best number everyone sings this at a party.
"Upon St. Patrick's Day" Kelly dances and sings to this great song. He sorta does this Irish gig. Kelly is truly the best dancer there ever was! This is one of the best numbers up there w/ Strictly USA.
At the end Kelly, Sinatra, Williams, Garrett sing to Strictly USA as the finale. It really great! The dvd has the following special features which are 2 deleted numbers called "Baby Face" and "Boys and Girls Like You and Me". It also contains the trailers of Anchors Aweigh, On the Town, and the trailer for this movie. Also includes notes on Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly. For some odd reason I love this movie! This is a must see if you are a Kelly fan!

A Musical Baseball Film That's Not About Baseball.......2004-06-06

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME is a typical MGM musical. Its story is silly at best and almost always implausible, yet somehow as if through some magical action, it works and the viewer believes that what is on the screen could actually happen. This is due to the fact that MGM seems to always have quality in mind. Add to the fact that the actors and actresses had more than looks and appeal, and you almost automatically have a wonderful film.

The plot is rather simple. Eddie O'Brien (played by Gene Kelly) and Dennis Ryan (played by Frank Sinatra) are baseball players by profession, but at heart they are Vaudeville entertainers. Trouble begins when they return to playing ball and learn the team is under new ownership. The owner's name is K.C. Higgins. When Higgins (played by Esther Williams) turns out to be a woman, a battle of the sexes begins. Ryan is set up to fall in love with Higgins, but meets Shirley Delwin, a girl who is both pretty and knows baseball. The two are smitten and Ryan wonders how he will break the news to Higgins. This turns out not to be a problem since Higgins naturally falls in love with Kelly, and in the end, all end up together and happily ever after. Of course the real treasure of this film is not the plot but the wonderful song and dance numbers. Sinatra croons away and Kelly wows the audience with his dance techniques. Of course Esther Williams has a swimming number. The movie ends with the four stars singing and dancing to "Simply America." Its major purpose was probably to promote patriotism and seems set in the 1940's rather than the early 1900's, and in the number Sinatra and Kelly sing of the virtues of great female performers such as Judy Garland and Kathryn Grayson while Williams and Garrett respond by singing the praises of Bing Crosby and Fred Astair. The DVD includes edited portions of the film which are interesting to see.

Amazon.com

This family drama begins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Description

DOWN IN THE DELTA brings together an outstanding cast of stars in an uplifting story of family, community, and friendship! In a desperate attempt to change her life, Loretta (Alfre Woodard -- STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, MUMFORD) -- a troubled single mother from a tough Chicago neighborhood -- is sent to spend a summer in her family's ancestral home in rural Mississippi. In "The Delta," with the support and widsom of her hardworking Uncle Earl, Loretta finally begins to see a way to provide for her young children and reverse the downward slide of her life. A heartwarming, critically acclaimed motion picture also starring Wesley Snipes (BLADE, U.S. MARSHALS) and Loretta Devine (WAITING TO EXHALE) -- share in this remarkable journey to discover the strength of a family's roots and the power of unconditional love!

Customer Reviews:

Down in the Delta will Lift your Spirit.......2006-11-10

I think this film should be required viewing in every school across our nation. Without realizing it, the viewer is slowing given a very personal lesson in slavery and its impact on the African American family, both in the past and as it effects these families today. The film gets its message across without the viewer learning the meaning of the candlestick named "Nathan," but when a family's determination to not allow a pawnbroker to take possession of Nathan is finally revealed, the impact slavery and how its horror echoes through to the present day becomes clear without being preachy or over-dramatic.

The performances of all the actors are exemplary, especially Miss Woodard. It is a film that helps all people, black and white alike, more clearly define race in our country today and how the wounds of the past continue to scar us today, with a message of hope and power for the future.

Excellent and calm movie.......2006-03-31

This is the movie that oughta keep you calm and warm up your heart. PG-13? Just for drug related material? Just one scene that Loretta Sinclair does smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol. But on top of that, it's a heartwarming movie.

So inspiring!.......2006-02-26

This movie shares the real meaning of family and the values that have long since been lost. One of my all time favorite movies!

Great Movie.......2003-07-25

I watched this movie the first time just because of the cast. I've always thought Alfre Woodard was wonderful, and don't get me started about Mary Alice, Al Freeman Jr., and Esther Rolle! I just loved it, and I caught it again when it ran on cable a while back. I've told everyone I know to see it. It's what so-called traditional family values are all about: caring and integrity and your family heritage, and, most of all, LOVE!

It was also good to see Wesley Snipes step out of his usual bada*** roles into something different--he pulls it off pretty well.

A well-acted family story.......2003-03-31

"Down in the Delta," directed by Maya Angelou, tells the story of Loretta (played by Alfre Woodard), a single mother who lives in Chicago and faces economic hardships. She and her kids move to the family's rural ancestral home to live with her uncle (Al Freeman, Jr.). This change of setting has a profound impact on the family.

Those familiar with Angelou's fine books will probably see similar themes explored in this film. Solid performances are turned in by the excellent ensemble cast. I was especially impressed by Mpho Koaho as Loretta's young son. And veteran performer Esther Rolle turns in particularly moving performance as Loretta's Alzheimer's-afflicted aunt.

Customer Reviews:

Never Received.......2007-01-09

I am sorry I can't do a review. I never got Message from Nam. I am still waiting and have been since June 2006. I filled in one star because it's a required field. Jo Ann Mackey

SarH.......2005-04-07

This is one of the best movies I ever seen. Everybody should get it.

A great love story.......2005-03-16

This was an adventurous love story with twists and turns. I was eager to see what was happening next. Great story line. It has "re-watch ability". Great romance for a "chick flick" and enough action for men to enjoy as well. Watch it!

Priceless.......2004-02-17

If you enjoy really, really bad cinema, then you have GOT to check out Message from Nam. I am telling you, this movie is hilarious. I'm not sure if all Danielle Steel stories are this utterly ridiculous, but if so, I AM HOOKED.

For starters, the entire thing has that soft glow that all Hallmark movies have. It's like watching people through a Vaseline filter.

Second, the film features Rue McClanahan (Blanche from The Golden Girls) and Lando himself, Billy Dee Williams. Finally bringing together these two talents in one film, as I am sure you know, makes for some dynamic cinema.

Finally, putting the trashy romance of Danielle Steel up against the backdrop of Vietnam makes for some of the most inappopriate and simultaneously hilarious moments that I can ever recall.

So do yourself a favor--go out and buy Danielle Steel's Message From Nam. I promise you, it is funnier than anything in your current collection.

P.S. To the distributors of this movie--we DEMAND a director's cut with commentary. A film of this magnitude makes it a must.

Great saga.......2004-02-16

This is a wonderful saga in the tradition of North and South. It's got just the right amount of drama and sentimentality, and just the right amount of cheeziness. After I watched it, I went right out and bought a Danielle Steel book!

Average customer rating:

Blu-ray Quality Review
Lousy plot and bad acting
A good, but derivative piece of sci-fi/horror fluff
Not just stupid, but predictable & boring
sex and alliens

Species (Special Edition)
Starring: Ben Kingsley , Michael Madsen , Alfred Molina , Forest Whitaker , and Marg Helgenberger
Director: Roger Donaldson
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

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

DTS | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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Species 2
Species III (Unrated Edition)
The Terminator (Special Edition)
Terminator 2 - Judgment Day [Blu-ray]
Stealth [Blu-ray]

ASIN: B0002KPHWE
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Amazon.com

There's a kind of perverse marketing genius at work in this cheesy sci-fi hit from 1995 in which scientists create a half-human, half-alien woman named Sil (Natasha Henstridge) who's capable of morphing from a slimy, tentacled creature into a blonde babe with the body of a Playboy centerfold. This makes it easy for Sil to lure gullible guys who are only too willing to indulge her voracious mating urge, realizing too late that sex with Sil is anything but safe. As the body count rises, a handpicked team of specialists tracks the alien's killing spree, but their diverse expertise is barely a match for the ever-morphing Sil. Borrowing elements of the Alien movies (including bizarre alien designs by Swedish artist H.R. Giger) and spicing them up with some tantalizing nudity, Species is a wet dream for creature-feature fans--kind of like watching a sci-fi vampire fantasy while browsing through the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. --Jeff Shannon

Description

When a beautiful human-alien hybrid (Natasha Henstridge) escapes from observation, scientist XavierFitch (Ben Kingsley) dispatches a crew of experts to find her before she is able to fulfill her horrific purpose: to mate with unsuspecting men and produce offspring that could destroy mankind. As her deadly biological clock ticks rapidly, Fitch and his team are hurled into a desperate battle in which the fate of humanity itself hangs in the balance!

Customer Reviews:

Blu-ray Quality Review.......2007-06-11

While the film itself is a love it or hate hit kind of thing (as far as the story and actors and whatnot), I would like to rate the actual quality of the disk and what separates it from the dvd version.

The Blu-ray version of this movie is much better than all the other version. Better quality images, better quality sound, and you even get a cool glimpse into Giger's creative process with a extra on the blu-ray that shows him creating the "evil train" sequence.

Personally, I liked the movie - but I think what most people want to know is, is it worth buying the blu-ray version vs. the dvd version and the answer to that question is DEFINATELY!

Lousy plot and bad acting.......2006-10-26

This movie has the plot of a porno. If you evaluate this movie as a porno, then it's lousy because there isn't much there. If you evaluate it any other way then it's also lousy. The plot of the movie is that a woman is an alien on a hunt for men to mate with, and she kills a fair number of them. Lots of car crashes and helocopter chases.

A good, but derivative piece of sci-fi/horror fluff.......2006-08-07

1995's Species was a studio's attempt to replicate the start of a new sci-fi/horror franchise like the one begun by Ridley Scott's Alien. Roger Donaldson was tapped to direct this attempt with a cast that included Sir Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Marge Helgenberger, Forrest Whitaker and Alfred Molina. The lucky gal who gets to play the role of Sil --- the half-alien, half-human hybrid --- fell on the stunning and gorgeous shoulders of Natasha Henstridge.

Species pulls from so many different sci-fi/horror films and shows from the past that it's hard to find anything original in the story. There's stuff from Alien, The Hidden, and even some episodes of The X-Files. The one original twist in this derivate film was the plot of an alien race sending over the genetic markers of its race and instructions on how to recombine it with human DNA to create a form of hybrid. Why the scientists decided to go through with such a seemingly dangerous task is known only to the writer who put pen to paper to create the screenplay. The acting by the select group of experts (Madsen, Helgenberger, Molina, Kingsley and Whitaker) are ok enough and none embarrass themselves in the end. Henstridge does a fine job of being sexy and hot. It helped that she pretty much was naked through most of the film, or at least put herself in situations to be naked.

The art design of Sil as the evolved alien hybrid came courtesy of the great Swiss surrealist, H.R. Giger who also did the design for the alien creature in Alien. Giger's biomechanical designs have always been disturbing and beautiful at the same time and he didn't disappoint with his design of Sil. If there was a quibble on Sil's final design it was that it still resembled abit too much of the alien design in Ridley Scott's Alien. But it was still great to see H.R. Giger still creating such wonderful artwork and designs for people to see. His popularity has always been mostly composed of the elite circles of the artworld and those small, loyal art groups with a penchant for the surreal, weird and disturbing.

In the end, Species was a good sci-fi/horror that didn't bore too much and for those who enjoy their gore this film had its equal share of the red stuff. Gratuitious nudity and sex from Natasha Henstridge as Sil the alien hybrid and the excellent designs from H.R. Giger gives this film enough good things to look at. It doesn't bring anything new and pretty much reuses alot of other things from other movies, but Species was good enough albeit derivative of better past films and shows.

Not just stupid, but predictable & boring.......2006-01-08

I can only imagine that the 4 & 5 star reviews for the stinker of a movie are coming from adolescent boys who are still enthralled by the nekkid alien/human hybrid who apparently can't be bothered by the inconvenience of clothing. As for the rest of us, the pervasive nudity will cease to be novel after the first 5 minutes or so. What we are left with is a lame & predictable paint-by-numbers horror flick which apparently wants to be "Alien," but seems content merely to steal liberally from an infinitely better movie.

This is so predictable that you could stop watching after the first hour, but why would you want to waste that first precious hour anyway? Just avoid the whole thing unless you are just now reaching puberty.

sex and alliens.......2006-01-07

well, it seems that they had to make a movie where Alliens and humans have sex, it was creepy, it was gross, it was fun!

Average customer rating:

An Esther Williams Classic.
What a disappointment!
Fantastic
A well deserved homage to Anette Kellerman!

Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)
Starring: Victor Mature
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Dangerous When Wet
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
NEPTUNE'S DAUGHTER with Esther Williams (A Filha de Netuno) (High Quality Import Edition-NTSC format-Region 1-Playable in North America)
Neptune's Daughter
Esther Williams Collection (Bathing Beauty / Easy to Wed / On an Island with You / Neptune's Daughter / Dangerous When Wet)

ASIN: B000AZPJ4W

Customer Reviews:

An Esther Williams Classic........2007-03-17

It's great to be able to finally own a DVD of this picture. As it had been a while since I had watched it, I forgot that it really did not have many underwater shots (except for the tank scene) - most consisted of dives and water ballet taken from the surface.The big water-show scene the film is famous for is indeed magnificent! Way over the top- it makes an impression every time.

What a disappointment!.......2007-02-28

This is a cheap made in asia transfer to DVD, certainly not worth the price. Advertised subtittles are not included.
I wonder if MGM is aware of that release and if their copyrights were properly protected.
I would suggest that Amazon take this item off their catalog.
Conclusion: don't get fooled, don't buy!

Fantastic.......2007-01-19

While the person I got this for had wanted it but bought it on their own already, they stated this copy was better and less costly than the one they had purchased.

A well deserved homage to Anette Kellerman!.......2005-10-09

Esther Williams was lovable and irresistible in this film but if you add the presence of Busby Berkeley, the talented Mervin Le Roy, a very human and extremely imaginative Mature and the presence of that giant actor as Walter Pigdeon was, you will obtain a very worthy movie without major pretensions.
The sublime sequences of the aquatic ballet and choreographic numbers are superb and belong to the cinema mythology.

Average customer rating:

Amusing satire which could have done with sharper scripting and firmer control but is pleasantly remembered...
An Amusing Romantic Comedy With Some Sharp Elbows Aimed At Hollywood; Leslie Howard, Joan Blondell, Humphrey Bogart
Funny engaging Comedy
Hilarious look at Hollywood
A gem!

Stand-In
Starring: Leslie Howard , Joan Blondell , Humphrey Bogart , Alan Mowbray , and Marla Shelton
Director: Tay Garnett
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Enforcer
Dead End
In a Lonely Place [Region 99]
Dead Reckoning [Region 99]
Bullets or Ballots

ASIN: B00007ELDZ
Release Date: 2003-01-28

Amazon.com

Humphrey Bogart takes a rare stab at comedy in the show-biz screwball comedy Stand-In. But though Bogart demonstrates his effortless star power, Leslie Howard (best known as Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind) turns in a marvelous comic performance as a finicky mathematical whiz named Atterbury Dodd, who's sent by a bank to decide whether a Hollywood studio should be salvaged or shut down. Assaulted by social parasites and stage mothers upon his arrival in Tinseltown, Dodd must take refuge in a flophouse filled with has-beens, never-weres, and a trained seal--among them a former child star (Joan Blondell) whose only job now is as a stand-in for an overrated glamour queen. Between Blondell and Bogart (playing a bitter producer), Dodd gets some lessons in show-biz economics. The movie's ending is dopey, but it's a lot of fun along the way. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Stuffy, bookish Atterbury Dodd (Leslie Howard) goes from Wall Street's balance sheets to Hollywood's scandal sheets in this rollicking look at Tinseltown's heyday! Sent to take over the reins of floundering Colossal Studios, Dodd finds the film community eyeing him with thinly-veiled amusement. Uncovering a conspiracy to scuttle the studio, he enlists the aid of an unlikely pair of allies: cynical, gin-soaked, and big-hearted producer Douglas Quintain ("Casablanca's" Humphrey Bogart) and Lester Plum ("Grease's" Joan Blondell), the sexy stand-in for an incredibly untalented screen siren!

Customer Reviews:

Amusing satire which could have done with sharper scripting and firmer control but is pleasantly remembered..........2007-01-15

"Stand-In" gave Bogart his first real chance to play comedy as it matched him once again with Leslie Howard, "The Petrified Forest" co-star, in a gentle and moderate tale of an efficiency expert (Howard) who is sent to Hollywood to save a stumbling studio from potential ruin...

Howard is appropriately stuffy as he enlisted the aid of former child star Joan Blondell to teach him the more practical side of movie-making...

Bogart drew his share of laughs... He plays a producer-editor who had taken to the bottle after an unsuccessful romance with one of the studio's stars, but moves to action when Howard uses him to rescue a movie "bomb" and turn it into a success big enough to save the studio...

An Amusing Romantic Comedy With Some Sharp Elbows Aimed At Hollywood; Leslie Howard, Joan Blondell, Humphrey Bogart.......2006-05-01

Atterbury Dodd, a careful accountant from New York, has just spent some time trying to find out what exactly is going on at Colossal Film Studios. "Hasn't anyone an answer for stupidity besides 'that's the picture business'?" he asks. Says a studio worker standing next to him, "Sorry, Mr. Dodd, but that's the only answer."

Stand-In is a good-natured ribbing at the making of movies. It takes some sharp-elbowed hits at budget manipulation, sycophancy, techniques to run up costs, untalented stars, inflated egos, the differences between what labor and management are paid and unscrupulous business dealings. I wonder how the movie was ever permitted to be released, much less made.

Dodd (Leslie Howard) is a precise genius with numbers who realizes that when his bank decides to sell it's interests in Colossal, it will be accepting a low-ball offer. He stands his ground to the bank's chair, and is sent to Hollywood to take over the studio, find out the real worth...or be fired if he's wrong. Dodd's journey to prove he is right, and to become a man who can laugh and fall in love, has just begun. He meets Lester Plum (Joan Blondell), a funny, attractive and poorly paid former child star who now works as a stand-in at Colossal. He meets Tom Potts (Jack Carson), the loud-mouth studio PR man, who is always ready with a braying laugh, an expense account charged to Colossal and a girl. He meets Doug Quentain (Humphrey Bogart), a producer and former drunk, who is suspicious that a flop-in-the-making, Sex and Satan, is deliberately running up expenses. He wants the production closed down. Oh, the people Dodd meets...egoist directors, manipulative business associates, no-talent leading ladies. And through it all, Atterbury Dodd with his quizzical sincerity, his logic, his lists and his naivety, tries to make sense of things. He comes to realize that workers aren't just units, that studios should make good films, that Douglas Quentain is a true friend...and that Miss Plum has very nice legs. In fact, at the end of the movie, we see that the final point on Dodd's list of to-do items in his notebook is "Propose to Miss Plum."

Stand-In is an insider's look at movie-making machinations. It's handled as an amusing exploration from the point of view of a likable and naive outsider. It's a romantic comedy, but with some sharp edges for Hollywood. Leslie Howard, always the intellectual leading man, proves once again how successful he was in convincing women he was a romantic lead in need of protecting and cuddling. Joan Blondell is, as usual, funny, a little acerbic and a little tender. Humphrey Bogart with this movie showed emphatically that he could carry a romantic role as well as handle comedy. It must have been frustrating to immediately be sent back to playing second-fiddle hoods to Jimmy Cagney and Edward G. Robinson. It would be four years and 17 movies before he was able to establish his own star persona.

The DVD presentation is much better than average. There are no extras.

Funny engaging Comedy.......2004-07-22

This picture was really a very fine surprise for me, because the starring couple: Leslie Howard and Joan Blondell, have a great "chemistry" goin' on there...Who would have thought that!; The english gentleman per-se and the fast-talking-american dame, ignite fireworks as a romantic team! What a pleasant surprise!

Leslie Howard plays the representative of a Bank who is sent to take charge of a Hollywood studio, to prevent it from being sold for less than it is worth (to an unscrupulous tycoon, impersonated by C. Henry Gordon), there he meets by chance, wisecracking and experienced Stand-In, Joan Blondell, ex-child star (a "has-been"). Howard's very good at numbers, financial figures, etc. but is a complete disaster to face "the real facts of life"...there comes Blondell, to "open his eyes".

Fine acting by Humphrey Bogart as a tough producer in love with a phony star (Marla Shelton). Alan Mowbray is great as another phony, a "temperamental" european director and Jack Carson is usually right as a fast-talking wise-guy.

An unknown gem, that made me laugh a lot, 'cos Leslie Howard is really very good at comedy and makes (oddly enough) an excellent match with Ms. Blondell. Fine Comedy.

Very funny situations and swiftly paced. Completely recommended viewing, for old movie fans and film-buffs in general.

Hilarious look at Hollywood.......2003-11-28

Leslie Howard is a mathematician sent to run a failing film comapny to see if it is worth saving. Utterly bemused by Hollywood, he is helped by a former child star who is now a long-suffering stand-in (Joan Blondell) and tough director Humphrey Bogart. Howard is absolutely hilarious as the naive intellectual grappling with the mysteries of the motion picture industry, and Blondell and Bogart are wonderful too. Howard finds refuge in the boarding house where Blondell stays, and finds himself among a motley crowd of aspiring actors, who include a trained seal and a penguin. As Howard struggles to understand this alien world he comes to be fond of it (and of course fond of Joan Blondell too), and the film builds to a rousing finale when the put-upon workers, stirred up by Howard, rebel against the closure of the company. A wonderful film, Howard was never better, what a wonderful actor he was. If you've only ever seen him as the rather dull Ashely Wilkes in Gone With the Wind, you really should see him in this.

A gem!.......2003-03-04

What's not to like? Fast pace, great dialogue, clever performances -- just watch. Rare fun.

Average customer rating:

great film with fun bits of trivia and [previously] unseen film footage......
A Look Back At MGM That's Both Honest And Nostalgic
The third outing...
As good as the first, THAT'S ENT III is cinematic heaven!
A little something for everyone

That's Entertainment III
Starring: Gene Kelly , June Allyson , Cyd Charisse , Lena Horne , and Howard Keel
Director: Michael J. Sheridan , and Bud Friedgen
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Art & Artists | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

That's Entertainment, Pt. 2
That's Entertainment
Broadway Melody of 1940
Ziegfeld Follies (Std Rmst Sub Dol)
For Me And My Gal (Snap case)

ASIN: B0002OXVDM
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Amazon.com

Some of the most impressive numbers from the golden era of MGM musicals are contained in this video, the third of the That's Entertainment films. Have no fear that the studio was scraping the bottom of the barrel when assembling these clips after having produced two earlier films using the same formula. In fact, it can be argued that this particular compilation would be attractive to a general audience of today, as it contains a wealth of material that hasn't been widely seen. And almost none of it would be produced today, as these complicated dance scenes would simply be too expensive to film in the modern era. An example is a lavish production number featuring the great dancer Eleanor Powell seen in split screen, so the viewer watching the video can see not only what the movie audience saw, but what the soundstage looked like as a small army of stagehands performed artful illusions by removing gigantic portions of the stage as Powell danced across it. Interesting outtakes featuring Judy Garland and Lena Horne are also featured, and former MGM musical stars who introduce the production numbers (and provide background on the filming) include Gene Kelly and Esther Williams. The title doesn't lie: it's all entertaining. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews:

great film with fun bits of trivia and [previously] unseen film footage.............2007-05-05

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT 3 is the final installment of the ENTERTAINMENT trilogy, that features older versions of the stars we came to love and recognize presenting a series of clips from their best-known movies, as well as outtakes with alternative choreoography, costumes and [sometimes] performers. Some of my favorites from here include Cyd Charisse, in TORCH SONG, which was brought to film with Joan Crawford in a costume gawdy enough to make her look like a drag queen, and make-up reminiscent of minstrel shows (it really offended me, actually!), Fred Astaire's alternate version of "I Want To Be a Dancing Man," dressed as a bartender, instead of in his "standard" tuxedo, and Ava Gardner singing "Can't Help Loving That Man of Mine," in SHOW BOAT, without help from the dub artist, as the film later appeared in theatres.

What makes THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT 3 especially stand out was a great appearance from Lena Horne. I appreciate her honesty and candor with us, the audience, as she tells us, unflinchingly, about her racist experience with the film industry, how she was repeatedly overlooked for acting roles, and was usually featured as a singer in a lounge act, and then quickly hustled off of the stage. Horne also experienced heartbreak when Ava Gardner was cast as biracial Julie in SHOW BOAT, instead of herself (due to film codes against miscygenation). I would have liked to see more of Lena Horne, in this, as well as other people of color who appeared in the MGM films, to hear their perspective, and see more clips with them. Overall, this is a very engaging documentary......

A Look Back At MGM That's Both Honest And Nostalgic.......2006-07-15

It was some time between the release of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT PART 2 and the third installation. The third installation could have been more of the same, but in the third part we are taken behind the scenes a bit more than the first. There are more narrators and in this regard it makes it similar to the first installment. It includes some well known scenes and lesser known scenes, but it's a bit more critical in an honest way and less a celebration of MGM's glory days. For example we see a musical scene with three sisters that's less than spectacular. We see scenes that were cut that should have been included. This installment was one of the first times we saw Judy Garland in ANNIE GET YOU'RE GUN and can make us wonder what the film would have been like had she been able and allowed to finish it. We also hear Lena Horne talk about how excited she was to be cast as Julie in the SHOWBOAT scene in TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY but how disappointed she was when censors decided that it would be too risky to cast her as Julie in the remake of SHOWBOAT.

People who are familiar with the MGM musical library and its stars may enjoy this installment best of all. It's certainly helpful for those interested in the behind the scenes of musicals and of course reminds us of MGM's great contribution to entertainment.

The third outing..........2005-03-05

is on par with the two first... What a pity neither of these films have included segments from BELLS ARE RINGING 1960, Mr. Freed`s last musical for Metro.

As for the film itself, the editing isn`t as good as one would expect... We didn`t get a fourth(or a 5th, they made a 4th for cable in 1995)chapter in 2004(MGM released De-Lovely instead) and it`s a shame, because MGM STILL have a lot of magic moments in store for us.... Watching the channel TCM; you`ll be aware of that. These three films stand on their own and are part of THOSE GLORIOUS MGM MUSICALS OF THE PAST.

As good as the first, THAT'S ENT III is cinematic heaven!.......2004-07-23

For two hours of non-stop MGM musical joy, you can't beat THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! III, the third and final entry in the magnificent series of compilations that celebrate the greatest tune-fests in film history.

I'm so excited that all three films are coming to DVD, especially from Warner Home Video, who really know how to "do it right"!

Like the original THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!, the format here is a stellar group of MGM veteran stars hosting various sequences built around classic musical numbers featuring the greatest stars of the genre: ASTAIRE, GARLAND, KELLY, SINATRA, etc., but there's a neat extra element to this fine film. The creative team wisely chose to take the viewer "behind the scenes" with fascinating footage showing how these films were made, and also providing a rare opportunity to see outtakes that were deleted from the original classic musicals, that feature people like Garland, Cyd Charisse, Debbie Reynolds and more.

It's amazing stuff, and assembled with panache, intelligence, and clever wit that never ceases to enthrall or mezmerize.

I can't wait to see this on DVD! You won't want to miss it.

A little something for everyone.......2003-01-05

Hey -- don't look at me that way! They were showing it on TV, and how could I resist? Like the previous installments in this series, this scrapbook documentary patches together some of the most dazzling and outlandish dance numbers from the golden age of MGM musicals, using hackneyed narrations by old-time studio stars such as Gene Kelly, Lena Horne and Esther Williams. The numbers whiz by like lightning, deftly navigating the shoals of countless half-forgotten tossoffs and classic A-list films. Naturally, some bits will appeal more to some viewers than others... my attention began to wander when the Esther Williams and Gene Kelly sequences went on too long: her movies were too bland to merit the extra attention; his were too good to merely nibble at in a forum like this. But the clips from lesser-known films are pure gems, and since many of these films are still out of print (or better left unrented), having the best material lifted out of them is a real treat. I did feel gypped, though by the meagre sampling of Carmen Miranda's work... she had some really distinctive routines, and it would be nice to see more of her! A fluffily produced featurette, yet evocative of a golden era.

Average customer rating:

Million dollar mermaid DVD???
Warner Brothers, where's the DVD?
A must see!
Very good film!
Williams' best movie

Million Dollar Mermaid
Starring: Esther Williams , Victor Mature , Walter Pidgeon , David Brian , and Donna Corcoran
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Manufacturer: MGM (Warner)
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Bell, James | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Bouchey, Willis | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Brian, David | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Corcoran, Donna | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Dillon, Tom | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Ferguson, Frank | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

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

Freeman, Howard | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Frees, Paul | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Graff, Wilton | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Pidgeon, Walter | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

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

White, Jesse | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Williams, Esther | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

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

Dangerous When Wet
Neptune's Daughter
On an Island With You
Jupiter's Darling
Bathing Beauty

ASIN: 6301973186
Release Date: 1995-02-24

Amazon.com

Million Dollar Mermaid, starring the incomparable Esther Williams, is the story of "the incomparable Annette Kellerman," an Australian swimming champion and water ballet artist who went on to perform in New York's Hippodrome. We start off in Sidney, Australia, where a young Annette is hampered by cumbersome leg braces. She starts swimming to strengthen her legs and before you know it, a star is born. Annette swims and dives her way through the show-biz ranks, struggling to support her musician father and fighting every woman's battle between Love and Career. The highlight of Million Dollar Mermaid is a jaw-dropping water ballet production number that simply must be seen to be believed. Colored smoke! Trapezes! Water slides! Water starlets making floating stars with kicking legs! And, of course, Esther herself, surrounded by sparklers and swimming in all her mermaid glory. They don't make 'em like this anymore: this blast from the past is not to be missed. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews:

Million dollar mermaid DVD???.......2005-11-07

I very much agree with the reviews I have read particularly from Santiago Ramos Jr from the US and wish to show some support...
COME ON WARNER BROTHERS! WHERE IS THE DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!We too in the UK are waiting to buy this film on DVD. Though I have not yet seen the film in its entirety. All the more reason to get it out on DVD. I am very much taken with this type of movie after watching many others like it with my Nan. She is no longer with us but films like this hold many memories. And its true... THEY DONT MAKE THEM LIKE THAY USE TOO!!!
In the mean time I will continue to search the net in the hope that one day I will find it.

Warner Brothers, where's the DVD?.......2005-05-27

With all the older movies finally being available on DVD, why is it that Million Dollar Mermaid is not available on DVD? It's a crying shame that it's not out. I hope that Warner Brothers is hard at work putting this DVD together. The magical water pool scene is worth the price by itself. I will be among the first to buy it when it comes out so I can add it to my ever-growing DVD library.

A must see!.......2004-09-01

It's no wonder that this movie is so sweet a story--it's a true story, Mervyn LeRoy directed it (he also produced The Wizard of Oz), and it stars Esther Williams. You'll be glad you watched it. Inspiring for all ages.

Very good film!.......2002-08-12

This film starring Esther Williams and Victor Mature, is very entertaining, a biography of Annette Kellerman. It os very well done, and well worth seeing.

Williams' best movie.......2001-04-12

MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID is Esther Williams' best work on film, and is the most successful attempt at combining a passable dramatic story with water ballet that was crucial to the plot of the story.

Esther Williams plays the famed Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman, who wowed audiences in London and at New York's Hippodrome with her beautiful water ballets.

Williams is good as Kellerman, she seems to have the character well in hand. Never in any other picture did Williams display her considerable acting talents. She is terribly good here - both in her acting and in her swimming.

Rounding out the cast is Victor Mature, Walter Pidgeon (as her loving father), Donna Corcoran (as the young Annette), and David Brian.