This package, as others have mentioned, appears to be a mixed bag of musicals not yet on DVD. The genuine news is that some of the Eleanor Powell films I’ve been waiting for are among them – Broadway Melodies of 1936 and 1938, Born To Dance, and Lady Be Superior. I’m less crazy about the 1950′s era musicals in this package. Personally I’d say that the Broadway Melodies and Born to Dance are 5/5, Lady Be Valid is 4/5, and the 1950′s era films are between 3 and 4 out of 5. It’s not that I don’t like Jane Powell, the star of many of the later entries, it’s impartial that the stories in some of these films seems to be more of a hindrance than a attend. Nobody else has listed the extra features, which are vital when judging a package like this. So I have included those next, along with the rating for each film as given by a current Internet film database:
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Hit the Deck (1955) (6.4/10)
Special Features:
· Soundtrack remastered in both a recent Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and 5.0 presentation of the modern 4-track theatrical mix
· Classic M-G-M Pete Smith Specialty comedy short: The Topple Guy
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· Classic M-G-M Tex Avery cartoon: Field and Stream
· Audio-only bonuses: Dolby 5.1 music-only track for song sequences
· Audio-only outtake song Sometimes I’m Overjoyed (Powell/Damone reprise)
· Novel Theatrical trailer
· Languages & subtitles: English & Français (main feature)
Deep in my Heart (1954) (6.5/10)
· Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, as well as recent theatrical Mono
· Oscar-nominated musical short: The Strauss Fantasy
· Classic cartoon Farm of Tomorrow
· Outtake musical numbers: Dance, My Darlings (Traubel) and Girlies of the Cabaret (George Murphy and Esther Williams)
· Theatrical trailer
· Languages & subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)
Kismet (1955) (6.1/10)
· Soundtrack remastered in both a unusual Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and 5.0 presentation of the novel 4-track theatrical mix
· Oscar-nominated CInemaScope short: The Battle of Gettysburg
· Classic cartoon: The First Awful Man
· 2 excerpts from The MGM Parade TV Series
· Complete version of partially-censored musical number Rahadlakum
· Audio-only bonus: Outtake Song Rhymes Have I
· Theatrical trailers of both the 1944 and 1955 Kismet
· Subtitles: English, Français & Portuguêse (main feature only)
Nancy Goes To Rio (1950) /Two Weeks With Care For (1950)
Disc 1
Nancy Goes To Rio (6.5/10)
· Oscar-nominated Pete Smith Specialty comedy short: Immoral Method Butch
· Classic cartoon: The Peachy Cobbler
· Theatrical trailer
· Languages & subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)
Disc 2
Two Weeks With Cherish (6.7/10)
· TCM special Reel Memories with Jane Powell, hosted by Robert Osborne
· Vintage short: Cover Actors
· Classic cartoon: Garden Gopher
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)
Broadway Melody of 1936/Broadway Melody of 1938
DISC 1
Broadway Melody of 1936 (7/10)
· Vintage short: Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
· Classic cartoon: To Spring
· Audio-only bonus: Leo Is on the Air radio promo
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)
DISC 2
Broadway Melody of 1938 (6.7/10)
· Oscar-winning short: That Mothers Might Live
· Classic cartoon: Pipe Dreams
· Audio-only bonuses: Outtake Songs Yours and Mine, Your Broadway and My Broadway, and Sun Showers
· Feelin’ like a Million test recording
· Respectable News of 1938 radio program and Leo Is on the Air radio promo
· Theatrical trailer
· Languages & subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)
Born to Dance (1936) /Lady Be Expedient (1941)
DISC 1
Born to Dance (6.5/10)
· Vintage short Hollywood: The Second Step
· Oscar-nominated cartoon: The Weak Mill Pond
· Audio-only bonus: Hollywood Hotel Radio program
· Theatrical trailer
· Languages & subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)
DISC 2
Lady Be Respectable (6.6/10)
· Vintage FitzPatrick TravelTalks short: Glimpses of Florida
· Oscar-nominated cartoon: The Rookie Bear
· Audio-only bonuses: outtake song I Appreciate to Dance and Leo Is on the Air radio promo
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & Français (main feature only)
This is a rather uncommon combination of MGM musicals, possible the result of the scraping together some of the titles which had not yet appeared on DVD. They are certainly a variable lot falling into 3 subgroups – 4 with Eleanor Powell, 2 starring Jane Powell and 3 second rate titles from the fifties.
In the mid thirties, Eleanor Powell became the dancing queen of MGM with her spectacular tap. She only made at most 2 films per annum and each had immense, obedient supporting casts and tremendous songs to showcase her. If you have not seen Powell’s dancing, you are in for a treat. The production numbers have a glitter and excitement with the quick-witted sunless and white photography and dynamic orchestrations.
- “Broadway Melody of 1936″, released in 1935, was Powell’s first MGM film and it is masterfully made to disguise her limitations as an actress. The film has a sizable catch including “Broadway Rhythm” and “You are my Lucky Star”, both appearing later in “Singing in the Rain”. With Frances Langford to belt out the songs, Robert Taylor as an impossibly beautiful leading man and Buddy Ebsen and Una Merkel providing solid serve, the film was a sizable success and spawned a series of films with “Broadway Melody” in the title.
- The next in the series, released in 1936, was “Born to Dance”, using the familiar set of 3 sailors and their girls. Ebsen, Langford and Una Merkel were support with Taylor replaced by James Stewart who introduces the classic Col Porter “Easy to Admire” in an uneasy vocal. The other huge song is “I’ve got you under my Skin” presented by Virginia Bruce.
- For 1937, the “Broadway Melody” title returned with Robert Taylor and the addition of Sophie Tucker and a very young Judy Garland. This is the film in which Garland sang “Dear Mr Gable”, a version of “You made me Admire You”. It is keen to notice Garland and Tucker together but the dwelling in this one becomes boring.
- In “Lady be Superior”, released in 1941, Powell had been demoted from the lead. She supports Ann Sothern and Robert Young in a really humdrum and overlong legend of a song writing team. Busby Berkeley staged the finale, George Gershwin’s “Intriguing Rhythmn”, with Powell in huge create. The other highlight is the touching “The Last Time I saw Paris”, poignantly delivered by Ann Sothern and the winner of the Oscar for best song that year. It is ironical that Powell was relegated to the second lead here because she is noteworthy more relaxed and gorgeous than in the earlier films.
In the leisurely forties, Joe Pasternak produced a series of light “family” musical comedies starring Jane Powell. These films date badly although the two titles here are probably the best in the series. The films are well made in resplendent technicolour and Jane Powell’s work always improved.
- the title, “Nancy goes to Rio”, says it all. Ugh! This is a film in the mould of Gidget and is fairly nauseating, to say the least. It certainly benefits from the presence of Ann Sothern as Powell’s mother and there are a few capable songs, but otherwise, the cringe meter will accept high. Carmen Miranda is on hand too but by this time, she had become a parody. Her musical numbers are OK but the sexy insinuation in her best Fox films is replaced by MGM family values and that kills Miranda stone wearisome!
- “Two weeks with Fancy” is a better film. It has an humorous screenplay, an friendly supporting cast and Powell is quite comic although Debbie Reynolds, with a naturalness that was soon to travel, steals the film as her younger sister. Her duet with Carleton Carpenter of “Aba daba Honeymoon” is celebrated.
The last 3 films are a staunch mixed bag. MGM continued to obtain the grandest musicals of all the studios but by the mid fifties, the films were becoming increasingly heavy handed.
- “Deep in my Heart” is an all star biopic of Sigmund Romberg with a charmless Jose Ferrer showcased in the title role and a dead screenplay. The biographic film allowed guest appearances by the studio roster and Ann Miller steals the note, closely followed by Gene Kelly, dancing with his brother.
- “Hit the Deck” is another version of the cliched tale about sailors on shore leave and the musicals numbers, often dynamic, establish the viewer from complete boredom, the best being “Hallelujah”. The cast are competent and energetic but generally second rate when compared to “On the Town” to which it has many similarities.
- “Kismet” is a technicolour Arabian Nights fable which was a vast Broadway hit but is another lifeless and overproduced dinosaur. Howard Keel was always gracious and how he managed to retain a straight face with some of the material he was handed is a credit to him. Dolores Gray jumps off the cover but Ann Blyth and the others are unpleasant. Films such as these killed the musical genre stone dreary.
The Station contains the usual assortment of outtakes (some capable, some abominable), cartoons, trailers etc. The best extra is the interview with a charming Jane Powell and it is astronomical to witness an ex-movie star who both looks wonderful and has jubilant memories. The prints of the films are generally honorable.
So there you have it. If you like musicals, you may like all these titles. Personally, I would buy a disk which unprejudiced contained the musical numbers. Incidentally, that’s the cast of “Lady be Suitable” displayed on Amazon.
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