The Muppet Movie - Kermit's 50th Anniversary Edition

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This simply irresistible first feature from the Muppets has Kermit the frog going from the swamps to Hollywood to be a star. As he travels and picks up his usual friends (Miss Piggy, Fozzie the Bear), Doc Hopper (Charles Durning) is in pursuit, looking for Kermit to be the spokesman for his frog-leg cuisine. A loose rendition of The Wizard of Oz, the film incorporates the same cagey humor as their breakout syndicated TV series The Muppet Show. This is one of the few times that a human cast (notably Steve Martin, Orson Welles, and Carol Kane) are integrated seamlessly with nonhumans. Worth noting is Paul Williams's score, which includes the Oscar-nominated "The Rainbow Connection." Williams's music, much like Howard Ashman's work on The Little Mermaid and other Disney films, provides more than atmosphere; there's a degree of magic here. Williams did not work on the future Muppet films until A Muppet Christmas Carol. His contributions made these films the best of the Muppet series. --Doug Thomas

Amazon.com

Jim Henson vaulted Kermit, the famous floppy-armed frog, and his Muppet pals to the big screen with this charming 1979 musical adventure. Like the TV show that inspired it, Henson and director James Frawley playfully acknowledge movie clichés and conventions and allow the characters to address the camera in asides, like a Hope and Crosby road film for the 1980s. The ambitious singing frog decides to leave his swamp and conquer Hollywood, gathering a group of friends along the way (Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and more) and bumping into oodles of guest stars making tongue-in-cheek cameos (my favorite is the tip-of-the-hat appearance by Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy). Meanwhile, despicable fast-food king Charles Durning pursues Kermit, hoping to make him the spokesfrog for his Frogs-Legs restaurant franchise. Austin Pendleton costars as Durning's sad sack henchman while guest stars include James Coburn, Dom DeLuise, Madeleine Kahn, Steve Martin, Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Carol Kane, Cloris Leachman, Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, Telly Savalas, Elliot Gould, Orson Welles, and Big Bird. Paul Williams penned the bouncy, song-filled score. You'll believe a frog can sing! --Sean Axmaker

Description

They're irreverent, irrepressible, and downright irresistible. They're the Muppets! -- starring in their first full-length movie. See how their meteoric rise to fame and fortune began: with a rainbow, a song . . . and a Frog. After a fateful meeting with a big-time talent agent, Kermit the Frog heads for Hollywood dreaming of showbiz. Along the way, Fozzie Bear, the Great Gonzo, and the dazzling Miss Piggy join him in hopes of becoming film stars too. But all bets are off when Kermit falls into the clutches of Doc Hopper (Charles Durning), a fast-food mogul seeking to promote his French-fried frog-leg franchise! Featuring Oscar(R)-nominated music (1980, Best Original Song "The Rainbow Connection," Best Original Score) and side-splitting appearances by some of the biggest names on the silver screen -- including Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, Orson Welles, and more! --this fully restored and remastered 50th Anniversary Edition of THE MUPPET MOVIE is a critically acclaimed comedy classic your family will treasure for all time. (c) The Muppets Holding Company, LLC and BVHE. MUPPETS characters and elements are trademarks of The Muppets Holding Company. All Rights Reserved.

Customer Reviews:

Childhood favorite........2007-07-31

The Muppet Movie is still the best and most enduring of the Muppet films. I remember watching this movie over and over again as a child and The Muppet Movie still holds up. How can you not love Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo. Special cameos from Milton Berle, Steve Martin and many more. The Muppet Movie is one to add to any media collection, if you have children or still act like one then buy this today. Happy Viewing!

Blast from the Past.......2007-07-28

Growing up in the 1970's, I loved all things Muppet. This was and is such a great movie, with the added bonus of really great music. I got it for my husband, also a 70's kid and movie fan, for Father's Day. It was loads of fun watching it with him and the kids. He was laughing harder than anyone and even remembers a lot of the lines (freak).

It's a heartwarming movie, another great addition to any movie collection.

"Life's like a movie, write your own ending."

The Muppet Movie, the best ever!.......2007-07-23

I really enjoy watching the first real movie the Muppets made.
I love the songs! I love the Muppet actors! I love the bit part star actors!

Ahhhhh Kermie!.......2007-07-06

What can I say? I loved this movie when it came out when I was a kid and I still do! My heart has always belonged to Kermit! I hadn't watched this movie for at least 20 years, so when it arrived I took it right out of the box and watched it. I was pleased to see that it still held up well. The songs were all still very singable and the humor was just what I remembered. And Kermit is just as wonderful as he ever was!

Brings back fond memories.......2007-02-12

Ah, something my children and I can watch together and not drive me insane.

This is the original muppet movie from 1979. I remember seeing it in the theater as a child. My kids like the singing, but get bored with the dialouge. But they are young (18 mo. & 32 mo.), so I am not suprised. I enjoy seeing all the big stars and comedians who took bit parts in this movie.

The only thing I don't like...most kids films with music/singing will have a bonus feature of the music scenes. It's a nice way to see the kids' favorite parts and only takes a few minutes if they want "just one more" show, song, story, etc. This DVD doesn't contain a music scene bonus feature.

Definately worth the money if you are a child from the 70s raising children today.

Average customer rating:

Hmm...
Gere is Great!

The Hoax
Starring: Richard Gere , Alfred Molina , Hope Davis , Marcia Gay Harden , and Stanley Tucci
Director: Lasse Hallström
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000TAN90Y
Release Date: 2007-10-16

Amazon.com

The Hoax is a happy surprise. Surprise because, for once, having a film's release date bumped back half a year didn't mean it's a dog. Happy because Lasse Hallström's dancing-on-eggshells comedy about a notorious literary scandal of the 1970s is bounteously entertaining, with more solid laughs and certainly slyer wit than, say, the latest Will Ferrell romp.

The subject is the world-shaking con an unsuccessful writer named Clifford Irving (Richard Gere) ran on some supposedly sharp cookies in the highest echelons of Manhattan publishing. Irving persuaded McGraw-Hill and Life magazine that ultra-reclusive tycoon Howard Hughes had selected him to transcribe his memoirs. It's pure balderdash, a desperate improvisation by a glib-talker who's perennially one jump ahead of the repo men. But the epic audacity of Irving's scam, the quicksilver way he weaves imaginary and accidental real-life details into beguiling patterns, and the legendary self-isolation of his supposed subject all conspire to keep the fiction afloat ... for a while.

This story isn't new to cinema, though few reviewers seem aware of that. In 1973 Orson Welles told it as part of F for Fake, a kaleidoscopic meditation on art, forgery, and the slipperiness of media, in which the real-life Irving was a semi-witting participant. But there's no need to beat up on The Hoax for being inferior to that postmodern masterpiece. Hallström and a deft cast do a killer job on the skyscraper corporate world where there are always more people in the room than there are useful purposes for them to serve (see especially Hope Davis, Stanley Tucci, and Zjelko Ivanek); Marcia Gay Harden summons up a daft Viking serenity as spouse Edith Irving, a.k.a. "Helga R. Hughes"; and Alfred Molina rates a supporting Oscar nod for his balletic suspension between bemusement and panic attack as Dick Suskind, Irving's researcher accomplice and conscience-in-default. As for the con artist in chief, Richard Gere dials back the narcissism of previous performances to limn a schmuck just suave enough to seduce even himself. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

From acclaimed director Lasse Hallstrom comes the unbelievable true story of Clifford Irving, the writer who faked the authorized autobiography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes and came close to pulling off the media scam of the 20th century. Irving's elaborate attempts to substantiate his claims - forgery, plagiarism, and falsifying legal documents - spark a media frenzy and take Irving down a neurotic spiral as he begins to suspect a vast conspiracy including the U.S. government and corporate empires are plotting against him.

Customer Reviews:

Hmm..........2007-08-18

I didn't enjoy "The Hoax".

It's odd that I didn't enjoy it - it's got an excellent pedigree (a great director, a mostly tried-and-trusted cast roster and a really fascinating true story as its raison d'etre), but for me, it just doesn't come together at any time to make a whole and likeable movie.

Down-on-his-luck writer Clifford Irving (Gere), sick of his work not being published, decides to invent a biography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, and, in the wave of publicity and anticipation surrounding the book's publication, involves his friends and loved ones in a web of lies that could ultimately destroy them all.

Alfred Molina and Marcia Gay Harden are, in this reviewer's opinion, hopelessly underused in films, so it's great to see these two highly talented actors turn in very sensitive and watchable performances - in particular, Gay Harden's turn as Irving's long-suffering partner is outstanding - but in the central role, Richard Gere's performance cannot match his support. He comes across as sort-of desperate, kinda hopeless, maybe-a-little-bit unfaithful, somewhat untrustworthy - Gere seems to be torn between playing Irving as a basicaly decent guy backed into a corner by debt and temptation, or as a Machiavellian no-talent hack with an eye for manipulation. Neither chord is really struck, however, and it's in this confusion of personality that Gere's Irving fails to work as the central column around which this otherwise fine drama is built. There's a lack of resolution about the character of Clifford Irving that leaves the viewer feeling, at best, confused, and at worst, irritated. By the movie's end, we wonder if Irving really is hallucinating, has he finally succumbed to his own deceptions, or whether we care enough about him to really want to know.

Hallström's direction is assured and confident, and there are several scenes (Irving's fire escape shenanigans or his "abduction" towards the movie's end) where Hallström's talent behind a camera shines - the visuals, at least, keep us satisfied for these sections - and overall, this is, from a technical point of view, a good movie. The screenplay is above average, too - it's a tight, polished script that doesn't feel like it's rushing us through a complex and tense storyline. Sadly, neither of these elements can overcome the overall sense of banality that hangs about "The Hoax".

It's a shame - William Wheeler's fine script, a terribly interesting story, some great direction by Lasse Hallström and two excellent supporting performances (Molina's Sancho Panza to Gere's Don Quixote is excellent, believable and sympathetic) - spoiled by a very flat central performance from Gere. And in a movie of this length, where 90% of the action features Gere's character front-and-centre, these 115 minutes very quickly start to feel like two hours too many. Given a different choice of actor for the role of Irving, with every other element of the movie kept the same, "The Hoax" could have been a fantastic bit of cinema. As is, it's not even particularly memorable.

Not recommended.

Gere is Great!.......2007-08-14

Richard Gere turns in an amazing performance as Clifford Irving in "The Hoax." Irving wrote a notorious "authorized" biography of the reclusive Howard Hughes in the 1970's which was a complete fabrication. He fooled McGraw-Hill, Life magazine, handwriting experts and journalists who had known Hughes before he cut himself off from the world totally. As the story unfolds, Irving turns into Hughes himself, adopting the looks and voice of Hughes as he had been in public many years before. The house of cards collapses in the end, of course, and the movie suggests a twist to the story that may or not be factual, but I'll say no more.

At Gere's first appearance on the screen, I almost didn't recognize him. He's a little old and down on his luck, and it's amazing how the reddish brown curly hair he's been given changes his look entirely. None of the "Pretty Woman" star here. It seems as if he only comes alive when he's lying--to his wife, his best friend, the publishers and lawyers, himself. It's sad, and a great performance.

On the Road With Bob Hope and Bing Crosby Collection (Road to Singapore/Road to Zanzibar/Road to Morocco/Road to Utopia)

Average customer rating:

Four roads to fun
A RETURN TO NORMALCY
So Happy
On the Road...
Enjoyable!

On the Road With Bob Hope and Bing Crosby Collection (Road to Singapore/Road to Zanzibar/Road to Morocco/Road to Utopia)
Starring: Bing Crosby , Bob Hope , Dorothy Lamour , Una Merkel , and Eric Blore
Director: Victor Schertzinger , David Butler , and Hal Walker
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001FGBZW
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Description

They are some of the best-loved film comedies ever created. Now, four of the most popular "Road" pictures, starring the unbeatable screen duo of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, are here together in this deluxe DVD collection. Join Bing and Bob as they travel the world and experience rollicking, fun-filled misadventures in the company of the alluring Dorothy Lamour in such screen gems as Road to Singapore, Road to Zanzibar, Road to Morocco and Road to Utopia. You'll laugh yourself silly with four of the titles that made Hope and Crosby one of the most successful comedy teams of the 1940s and which continue to charm and entertain audiences of all ages today.

Customer Reviews:

Four roads to fun.......2007-07-29

There are many great comedies nowadays, but there are very few great comedy teams. In the old days, you could have the Three Stooges, the Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello: teams that were greater than the sum of their parts. (What was Abbott without Costello or Moe without Curly and Larry?) Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, on the other hand, each were successful on their own, yet they are also recognized as a team in a way that even modern combinations like Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are not. And the series of films that made them a famous team were the Road Pictures, the first four (of seven) of which are on the DVD On the Road with Bob Hope.

Actually, the Hope/Crosby team was actually a trio, with Dorothy Lamour as the woman who always came between the two. In the first Road movie, Road to Singapore, she is an island girl taken in by the two of them after they get her away from her nasty employer. The two are sailors fleeing commitment in the U.S. by taking refuge on a tropical island. In the second movie, Road to Zanzibar, they are showmen in Africa who escort Lamour and Una Merkel through the jungle, unaware that the two women are actually con artists.

In Road to Morocco, the two find themselves in a desert nation. Crosby sells Hope into slavery, which turns out to be a lot better than it sounds, when it turns out he has to marry a princess played by Lamour. What Hope doesn't know is that her first husband is destined to die, clearing the way for a long second marriage; what Lamour doesn't know is that the prediction is based on faulty information. Though Hope always seems to lose Lamour to Crosby by the end of the movie, Road to Utopia shows Hope and Lamour old and long-married before flashing back to a time when they were in Alaska looking for a gold mine.

Plot is almost incidental in these movies, merely a means to move from one gag to another. Although I doubt they were the first to do so, they often seem to recognize that they are in movies. For example, in Road to Utopia, Hope calls a mountain his bread-and-butter: it suddenly gets a circle of stars and becomes the Paramount logo. Anything can happen - even animals talk - and it is all a lot of fun. Not every joke works, but Hope and Crosby's chemistry carry the films. For some silly, old-fashioned movie comedy, this foursome fits the bill nicely.

A RETURN TO NORMALCY.......2007-06-08

HAVING SEEN ALL OF THE ROAD MOVIES IN YEARS PAST, IT IS A GREAT PLEASURE ONCE AGAIN TO HEAR WONDERFUL VOICES, & COMEDIC ACTING AT SUCH A HIGH LEVEL. MUSIC & COMEDY DOES NOT HAVE TO BE VULGAR TO BE ENTERTAINING. WHERE HAVE YOU GONE BING CROSBY?

So Happy.......2007-04-27

I looked for the Road To movies a few years back with no luck. I checked back recently, and was pleased to find this collection of the first four- and, arguably, the best four- films in the series. The package is nice, and the movies are on one double-sided DVD, which is a nice change from the unnecessarily disc-heavy sets we see so often. The transfer of the movies isn't perfect, but they're old, and it's still fantastic in both sound and picture. All four movies are wonderful, though Road To Singapore is a bit slow in coming off the ground. Hope and Crosby are revered as one of the best comedy duos of all time, and this set proves why. I'm young, and I love these movies. They're great fun for all ages, and I highly recommend getting them. Especially for that price!

On the Road..........2007-03-10

Including four of the seven films in the series, "On the Road with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby" is a collection that I'm proud to own. The Bob Hope and Bing Crosby "Road" movies are a set of classic comedy musicals that are pointless but funny! This can only be appreciated by someone who understands the relationship between Hope and Crosby and the jokes that apply to the era. A great collection for the Hope, Crosby, or Lamour fan.

Enjoyable!.......2007-01-12

Couldn't wait to get this DVD and it was worth the wait. Got a charge out of seeing Bob and Bing together. Must order the other "Road" films.

Average customer rating:

Blue Collar Blues
A very funny film that gets a "golf clap" and a 'B+' from me...
comedy classic, puts the "Estevez" brothers together in an original flick
Rare Laserdiscs - dvds Movies Collector.
***** men at work *****

Men At Work
Starring: Geoffrey Blake , Bob Brown (II) , Dean Cameron , Keith David , and Cameron Dye
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000063JDM
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Amazon.com

Proving that a little success can be a dangerous thing, Emilio Estevez parlayed his early-'80s "brat-pack" fame into a dubious directorial career, beginning with 1986's Wisdom (in which Estevez costarred with then-fiancée Demi Moore), and resuming with this sophomore-effort 1990 comedy that benefits most from Emilio's teaming with brother Charlie Sheen. (Close your eyes and listen: their voices sound like their dad Martin Sheen after inhaling helium.) The brothers play a pair of garbage collectors who discover a body on their daily rounds, and the corpse draws them into a scheme involving corrupt politics, illegal hazardous-waste dumping, and a lovely neighbor (Leslie Hope) with connections to the dead guy. Add a wacko Vietnam vet (Keith David), an unsuspecting pizza deliverer (Dean Cameron), and a pair of overzealous cops, and you've got a comedy that lazily rambles from one lightweight scene to another. It's way too loose to have any noteworthy quality, but that's also part of the movie's low-brow appeal: Estevez and Sheen play well together, and this is just their way of goofing off with Hollywood money. With a sharper script and an experienced director, Men at Work could have paid off handsomely. As it is, these sibling antics are amiable enough, and the early-'90s fashion crimes (like Charlie's "dork knob" ponytail) offer an amusing diversion from the lamest gags. --Jeff Shannon

Description

It's up to a pair of trash-hauling heroes to clean up the city in this action-comedy starring real-life brothers Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez. Garbage men James (Estevez) and Carl (Sheen) dream of opening a surf shop, but often land in hot water due to their practical jokes. When they discover the body of a murdered politician on their route, they attempt to sniff out the killer themselves a bad idea that rapidly ensnares them in a toxic waste scandal. Soon, they're thrown headlong into a manic escapade involving a deranged veteran, an attractive campaign manager, a kidnapped pizza deliveryman and a greedy polluter who wants them hauledoff to a landfill for good!

Customer Reviews:

Blue Collar Blues.......2007-06-01

I still enjoy Men at Work. I enjoyed it when I was a little kid, and I enjoy it still as a slacker/dreamer 20 somethin'...good movie to sit back with after a day at work, relax a little bit, rest your feet, and gulp a beverage, masticate some good local pizza with extra cheese and hot peppers.

A very funny film that gets a "golf clap" and a 'B+' from me..........2007-02-15

This is a purposely offbeat movie with some great humor and I've found that it's one of those films that you'll want to go back and revisit. Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen are really good together (their banter is especially strong in the first half of the movie) but I've found, as others have done, that it's actually Keith David who steals the show. This would have probably got 5 stars from me except that the second half of the film just isn't quite as original or comedic as the first half - the story starts getting more action-orientated and the ending is a little on the cheesy side. Still, you've got to love the idea of lead characters as garbagemen and the charm with which Estevez and Sheen do it.

comedy classic, puts the "Estevez" brothers together in an original flick.......2006-09-30

This is just a plain fun movie, a small insight into what it may be like for some sanitation workers, and why my trash cans are always all over the place when I get home. Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez are garbage men who, by string of coincedences, get linked into a murder in more ways than one, all through trying to clean up trash.

Sure this movie is a bit far streached at times, and makes two relatively clever characters go from funny to dumb all throughout (Why not just call the cops asap when you find a body????) Also, no cops were involved at the end either, as near as I could tell...why, loose ends.

However, this is chauked full of one liners, ongoing gags, and the two bike policemen on a merry-go-round, worth the price of the movie alone. Pick this up for cheap, enjoy it a lot.

Rare Laserdiscs - dvds Movies Collector........2006-04-28

Simply you just need to ADD Men At Work to your dvd Collection...'tis Fresh,Inventive,A pleasant,Knockabout Comedy.

***** men at work *****.......2006-02-01

Men at work is a great movie!!! I can't stop laughing!!

Lucille Ball Film Collection (Dance Girl Dance / The Big Street / Du Barry Was a Lady / Critic's Choice / Mame)

Average customer rating:

LUCY, GLORIOUS LUCY................
Great movie salute to Lucille Ball
Famous Lucy Films Finally on DVD
Four Great Films & One Misfire
Pre-Order for 6-19-2007 // GREAT new film collection!!!

Lucille Ball Film Collection (Dance Girl Dance / The Big Street / Du Barry Was a Lady / Critic's Choice / Mame)
Starring: Lucille Ball , Red Skelton , Gene Kelly , Henry Fonda , and Bob Hope
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

ASIN: B000OCY7V2
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Amazon.com

Offering an abundance of vintage Hollywood entertainment, the five films included in The Lucille Ball Film Collection cover a broad spectrum of Lucy's movie career, from one of her most prominent early roles to her final big-screen appearance. Long before she became an icon of TV sitcoms, Lucy had moved from New York to Hollywood in 1933, appearing in a variety of mostly uncredited showgirl roles in over 40 films before getting her first big break in the 1937 classic Stage Door (not included in this set). Lucy's star quickly began to rise, and by the time she played sassy nightclub singer "Tiger Lily White" in 1940's Dance, Girl, Dance, she was holding her own with such famous costars as Maureen O'Hara and Ralph Bellamy. Noteworthy as an early feminist comedy directed by Dorothy Arzner (one of the only women to break into the male-dominated profession of Hollywood directors), it's a fun and fascinating film that helped to establish Lucy's persona as a fiery, independent entertainer. That image was pushed to extremes in The Big Street (1942), an oddly enjoyable comedy/melodrama in which Lucy and Henry Fonda are cast against type--she as a selfish, unlikable nightclub diva, and he as the doting busboy who devotes himself to her when she's badly injured by her villainous boss. A year later, Lucy starred with Red Skelton and Gene Kelly in Du Barry Was a Lady, a lavish and still-delightful MGM musical comedy that was Lucy's first film in color--and the first to feature the blazing red hair (recommended by legendary Hollywood stylist Sydney Guilaroff) that became one of Lucy's most beloved and readily identifiable features.

By the time Lucy played a middle-aged playwright in Critic's Choice (1963), she'd become one of TV's most beloved and successful comediennes, and her film career was clearly winding down. Critic's Choice was a fitting follow-up to 1960's The Facts of Life, reuniting Lucy with four-time costar Bob Hope in an upscale comedy/drama that was noteworthy for its progressive depiction of divorced and remarried sophisticates in New York City. A decade later, Lucy chose the ill-fated Mame (1974) for what would prove to be her final big-screen appearance. Despite brutal reviews that focused on Lucy being too old for the title role (originated on Broadway by Angela Lansbury), Mame has survived its bad reputation to become one of Hollywood's most popular high-camp misfires, with Lucy's eccentric and lavishly costumed character gaining a loyal following (especially in the gay community) as a colorful inspiration for female impersonators. In some ways it's a fitting end to Lucy's big-screen career; she always gave maximum effort against considerable odds, and The Lucille Ball Film Collection is a testament to Lucy's show-biz tenacity. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVDs
Each of the DVDs in The Lucille Ball Film Collection is accompanied by bonus features culled from the extensive Warner Bros. archives. As with many of WB's DVD boxed sets, these bonus features consist of featurettes and cartoons that are chronologically matched (in most cases) to the feature presentations, offering a home-video approximation of what it was like to attend these films in their original theatrical context. (See reviews of each individual title for specific bonus-feature details.) For the long-awaited DVD release of Mame, Warner Bros. technicians attempted to create a new stereo soundtrack mix, but this ultimately proved technically impossible due to the variable quality of the original recording elements, so the film is presented with the mono soundtrack of its original theatrical release. As always with WB releases, picture and sound quality is uniformly superb, especially in preserving the brilliant Technicolor of Du Barry Was a Lady. Of particular value among the bonus features, the DVD of Critic's Choice breaks from strict chronology with "Calling All Tars," a 1936 Vitaphone short featuring one of Bob Hope's earliest screen appearances, and the Oscar-nominated cartoon "Now Hear This" (1962), directed in abstract-art style by legendary Warner Bros. animator Chuck Jones. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Big Street: Haughty nightclub singer Gloria Lyons (Lucille Ball) doesn't have time for the little people, including Little Pinks (Henry Fonda), the busboy who adores her. Then Gloria is paralyzed when a mobster knocks her down the stairs, and those little people are the only ones who help her. Critic's Choice: Tossing inspired throwaway lines right and left, Hope is a New York critic who loves writing pointed reviews that close insufferably lousy plays. But there's a new play in town â€" by his redheaded wife (Ball). Dance Girl Dance: Bubbles (Lucille Ball) loves to dance. But she also likes to eat. Her friend Judy (Maureen O'Hara) may choose to suffer for her art, but not Bubbles. She swap hers ballet shoes for a G-string...and turns patrons' fantasies into dollars as burlesque sensation Tiger Lily White. Dubarry Was a Lady: Hapless nightclub hat check boy Red Skelton loves glamorous chanteuse Lucille Ball. Handsome hoofer Gene Kelly loves her too. But Lucy only loves money. Then Red mistakenly gulps down a Mickey Finn, dreams he's in 18th-century France and before you can powder your wig, a throng of suitors fall in love with Lucy! Mame: Lucille Ball brings star sparkle to the title role, a high-living grande dame who's outlandishly eccentric and, when suddenly faced with raising an orphaned nephew, fiercely loving. Veterans of the New York stage original join her: Beatrice Arthur as best friend Vera, Jane Connell as prim governess Agnes, choreographer Onna White and director Gene Saks.

Customer Reviews:

LUCY, GLORIOUS LUCY.......................2007-07-13

For any Lucille Ball fan or true film buff, this 5 dvd set is a must. Of course, when Lucille was mixed with the character of Lucy an entity was created that will live on forever and never be replaced.

But this is Lucille Ball the actress and it is amazing to see her through all different phases of her career. With DANCE, GIRL DANCE she was a very famous B actress who got cast with the A list and had no idea what her future held.

THE BIG STREET is a 100 % dramatic Lucille fully letting loose. Beautiful, strong and just plain cruel - this role is a tour-de-force. The gossips try to say that Henry Fonda hated working with her and criticized her acting style but then why would he return to her blessed company in YOURS, MINE AND OURS.

Some dis CRITIC'S CHOICE but I find it very entertaining to see her portray a regular middle aged woman. I find the film very funny and her portayal very believable and so far removed from Lucy.

MAME - all I can say is her much critized singing voice brings a true presence to her portrayal. She is lovely and has such fun. The main production number is so lovely it will bring you to tears. WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS is a true display of joy. And I will forever say that I found the second half of this film to be some of her best dramatic acting ever.

These films are only in 1.0 sound but it still sounds great and the video transfers are crysal clear.

I think you can tell I love Lucy !!!!!!!! Actually, who doesn't. And whether you love all or some of these films she still brings her unique quality to each. Purchase this set and enjoy !!!!!

Great movie salute to Lucille Ball.......2007-06-29

This is a pretty good collection honoring Lucille Ball's motion picture work in various decades of her long career. She looks beautiful in "Dubarry...". The movie is dated but, she looks so glam. The film was made mostly just to promote MGM's Technicolor process of color filming. By the time "Critic's Choice" was made, Miss Ball was just past 50 years old. Heavy makeup and careful camera lensing makes her look about 15 years younger than she actually was. Ironically, the woman playing her mother in the film was about the same age as Lucy. "Mame" should have starred Angela Lansbury. But, Ball wanted to follow up her 1968 hit, "Yours, Mine and Ours" with a major film project. So, she secured rights to "Mame". Aside from her singing, the film is OK. She looks great thanks to her makeup team and Vaseline closeups. Nice campy moments. Glam clothes! "Big Street" is her best film of all that starred her.

Famous Lucy Films Finally on DVD.......2007-06-28

This is the best of the best films they can release in one set for Lucille Ball. I just got the set yesterday, (June 27) and stayed up all night to watch all of the films.

The Big Street - This stars - Henry Fonda, Lucille Ball, Barton MacLane, Eugene Pallette, Agnes Moorehead, Sam Levine, Ray Collins, and Ozzie Nelson.

Critic's Choice - This stars - Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Marilyn Maxwell, Rip Torn, Jessie Royce Landis, John Dehner, and Jim Backus.

Dance, Girl, Dance - This stars - Maureen O'Hara, Louis Hayward, Lucille Ball, Virginia Field, Ralph Bellamy, Mary Carlisle, Katherine Alexander, Edward Brophy, Walter Abel, Harold Huber, Maria Ouspenska, and Harry E. Edington.

DuBarry Was a Lady - This stars - Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly, Virginia O'Brien, Zero Mostel, and Tommy Dorsey

Mame - This stars - Lucille Ball, Beatrice Arthur, Bruce Davison, Joyce Van Patten, Kirby Furlong, Robert Preston.

This is all of the stars of the 5 films. I was going to tell about the movies, but if you are purchasing this item, or are looking to see how the movies are according to other people on this site, I am not going to ruin your suprise. I will let you watch the films yourself, and all you are getting from me is - I LOVE THESE MOVIES.

Four Great Films & One Misfire.......2007-06-20

This set is worth owning just for Mame, in which Lucille Ball BECOMES Auntie Mame. DuBarry Was A Lady, Dance Girl Dance (with a young Maureen O'Hara) and The Big Street are all fan favorites. While Lucy looks stunning in Critic's Choice, it is the least enjoyable film in the set (and the only "stinker" out of four films she made with her preferred screen-partner, Bob Hope).

Pre-Order for 6-19-2007 // GREAT new film collection!!!.......2007-05-14

This is a GREAT collection to own and a must have for any Lucy fan! With this collection you will receive 5 movies starring Lucille Ball's most popular film adaption. You will be amazed to see the true acting ability of Lucy here.

Some of the films here are somewhat of a opposite to Lucille Ball's role on "I Love Lucy" but some are very similar to "I Love Lucy" in my opinion. Take "The Big Street" for instance, High class Gloria (Lucille Ball) was a bit cruel and mean to a poor man named pinks who falls head over heels in love with her and will do anything to please her at the end she begins to fall for him too. A must see dramatic film!!

You will see Lucille Ball like you have never seen her before and these movies are not boring at all but they are really good interesting movies that you will not lose interest in. I am somewhat shy of old films and find them boring but I can watch anything with Lucille Ball and you will love these films!

"Lucille Ball Film Collection" includes:

"The Big Street" - Ex-chanteuse Gloria is vain, cruel, crippled - and busboy Pinks can't help but love her. Ball and Henry Fonda power Damon Runyon's tale of Broadway denizens living on life's margins.

"Critic's Choice" - That's no playwright, that's my wife. Poison-penned Broadway critic Bob Hope loves wife Lucille Ball...but hates the play she writes. Based on the play by "Deathtrap's" Ira Levin.

Dance, Girl, Dance" - Art doesn't pay the bills. So aspiring ballerina Ball makes her way as a burlesque star in this powerful study of being a woman in a man's world. With Maureen O'Hara.

"Dubarry Was A Lady" - Their friendship is a perfect musical-comedy blendship! Ball goes from NYC torch singer to the dream girl of Red Skelton's wacky, 18th-century-France reverie. Gene Kelly joins the fun!

"Mame" - She'll coax the blues right out of your heart. Madcap Auntie Mame (Ball) is suddenly her nephew's guardian. Robert Preston and Beatrice Arthur co-star in a sparkling adaptation of the Broadway hit.

Highly recommended!!!

Average customer rating:

One of Bob Hope's best
The Ghost Breakers
Ghost Breakers
You Can't Go Wrong With This Movie
great movie from the past

The Ghost Breakers
Starring: Bob Hope , Paulette Goddard , Richard Carlson , Paul Lukas , and Willie Best
Director: George Marshall
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005UMF5
Release Date: 2002-03-05

Product Description

Ghosts and gags collide in this witches brew of laughs, with Bob Hope as a Manhattan radio commentator who finds himself marooned on an island of the walking dead!Larry Lawrence (Hope), sought in connection with a murder he did not commit, eludes New York police by hiding in a steamer trunk. Soon the trunk (and Larry) are aboard a ship bound for Cuba, where the trunk s owner, pretty Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard), is sailing to take possession of a recent inheritance: a haunted castle. Sensing that Mary is in danger, Larry and his valet Alex (Willie Best) precede her to the island, which is inhabited by a ghost, a zombie and perhaps even a flesh-and-blood fiend. There s romance, comedy and chills as Hope and Goddard contend with earthly and un-earthly foes and try to keep from ending up as ghosts themselves!

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

One of Bob Hope's best .......2007-07-06

Lots of mystery, romance,and fun with a young Bob Hope
and lovely Paulette Goddard.
Bob Hope gets mixed up with the mob,then meets
Paulette Goddard (who has meanwhile inherited
a haunted castle in Cuba). Bob Hope escapes the cops
from the hotel in New York via Paulette's steamer trunk.
They see the sights in Cuba; and
decide to check out the castle themselves. They
run into zombies, murder, and assorted creepiness.
Also, the B/W print is beautiful on the DVD.

The Ghost Breakers.......2007-06-25

George Marshall's raucous comedy with goose-bumps is vintage Hope, who works extremely well with the seductive Goddard (newly divorced from real-life husband Charles Chaplin). Also on-hand are a menacing Paul Lukas, and-could it be-a very young Anthony Quinn! Black actor Willie Best also makes the best of a stereotypical part, and he and Hope give Jack Benny and Rochester a run for their money. If you're in the mood for laughs with some thrills thrown in, here's your movie.

Ghost Breakers.......2007-06-11

Cute comedy based on a mysterious villian trying to scare the stubborn female away from her newly inherited castle in Cuba. When Bob Hope finds she is in trouble, he comes to her rescue. At the time, this might have been scary, but now it is just funny. There was a sequel made about 10 years later with Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin called "Scared Stiff"

You Can't Go Wrong With This Movie.......2007-06-04

I first saw The Ghost Breakers when I was a kid...One moment as I digress...It was on the Family Film Festival, a regular weekend movie show staring Tom Hatten. He would interview his guest which may have been an actor, writer, producer of the movie he was going to show, he'd give a synopsis of the plot, show the film, and then come back to close out the show and wet our appetites for the following week. The day he happened to show this film, it was raining, it was perfect!.....Now back to the movie....It is classic black and white, with Hope at his best for comedy. There is murder, mystery, intrigue, romance, and comedy, everything you could ever want in a movie. I don't want to put in any spoilers so I will only tell you, YOU NEED TO SEE THIS MOVIE!!! Follow Hope and Goddard as they get mixed up with the wrong group of people, travel with them to Cuba and Goddard's inherited haunted house. Willie Best puts in a teriffic performance. This movie is a hidden jewel. Rent it, Buy it, Borrow it, Give it as a gift! A good amount of bonus material as well.

If you like this movie you'll also like The Cat and The Canary albeit much harder to find. The same people who made this movie made that one as well, along with Hope and Goddard, the comedy isn't as rampant but still funny, a little darker too.

great movie from the past.......2007-04-02

i remember this movie from my childhood and still love it today

Average customer rating:

Great clips but too damn Hollywoodized
The Glory of the Beatniks.
A good introduction to Beat influence, but very broad
A little disappointing but still worth seeing
'Source' of Inspiration

The Source
Starring: William F. Buckley , Jack Kerouac , Bob Hope , Richard J. Daley , and Johnny Depp
Director: Chuck Workman
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004STH1
Release Date: 2000-07-05

Amazon.com

This documentary is a treat, a look at the beat writers that benefits not only from a wealth of vital source information, including interviews with major figures, but also from an abundance of intelligence and wit. Interspersed with clips of Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and William S. Burroughs are brilliant montages of clips that set the beats in the context of their times. The story of how the beats rebelled against American conformity in the 1950s is well known, of course, but this documentary manages to find fresh ways to relate their views on life and writing. Segments in which Johnny Depp, John Turturro, and Dennis Hopper portray, respectively, Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs may strike some as extraneous, but the good performances redeem their inclusion in the film. As befits the documentary's title, The Source devotes considerable attention to the influence of the beats, and interviews with such notables as Ken Kesey, Jerry Garcia, and Philip Glass, performance clips of Bob Dylan, and news footage from the 1960s establish how the sensibility of the writers trickled into all of society. This is not only a fine introduction to the beats, but those who already revere them will find the profusion of material contained it to be a delight. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews:

Great clips but too damn Hollywoodized.......2006-02-18

What's good about this documentary is all the great footage of the Beats. There is amazing interview footage of Corso and Burroughs later in life that I haven't seen anywhere else, along with choice clips of interviews of all the Beats that are in the other three or so good documentaries out there. (Really worth seeing are "Kerouac: King of the Beats," "What Ever Happened to Kerouac?", and "The Beat Generation".) It's very worth watching just for this footage.

But unfortunately it tries to be too hip and too cute and ends up just being too glib and too distracting. It jumps frenetically between little swatches of otherwise great archival footage to stupid TV shows of the time, or to unrelated street scenes or bands playing. All of which gives it a distracting Attention Deficit Disorder/MTV music video feel. Very polished and Hollywood and very out of sorts with the Beats focus on authenticity. The film didn't need all this mess. The subjects of the documentary are so fascinating and energetic all by themselves, I don't know why the makers would try to spice it up by interrupting the enthralling footage with endless splices of goofy sounds and images.

Another annoying thing is that the makers work far too hard to draw the lineage between the Beats and the Hippies and the free speech movement. They end up talking about the 60s and to 60s personalities much too long. The connection between the Beats and Hippies is there, of course, but the makers way oversimplify and make it seem as if it's obvious to everyone that the Beats started the whole social revolution singlehandedly. And that's silly. It would have been much more potent if they'd spent less time on all that and instead had shown more of their great interview and performance footage of the main folks.

Again, very worth watching but I sure found the meddling of the film makers frustrating.

The Glory of the Beatniks. .......2005-05-14

This movie is a fast ride and a lot of fun. It is the furthest thing from a slow-moving documentary. The technical style and flair would appeal to practically any viewer. The Source is glossy and gorgeous. The director's clout is also impressive. Johnny Depp gives a performance monologue as Jack Kerouac and John Torturro gives an emotional reading from "Howl." Dennis Hopper imitates Burroughs as well later in the film. Their efforts are impressive.

Just to let the skeptics out there know, there is no room for doubt in this documentary. The beats are heroes and saviors--and not much else is considered. That some of them were minor talents is brushed over. Massive beat generation fans would give it five stars. A totally sanitized version of William S. Burroughs is presented, and it is implied that Kerouac was only a heterosexual, which is something that most commentators would regard as dubious. The film's attitude towards drug use is rather slanted. One memorable quotation was, "you can overdose on anything including sushi." Well no, not really.

It does not matter though, the movie is an amazing sprint and it succeeds in making itself impossible to turn off.

A good introduction to Beat influence, but very broad.......2005-04-25

A documentary that wears its heart on its sleeve, "The Source" is a great collection of archival clips and contemporary interviews. It overreaches trying to connect all of the movement's reference points from Herbert Huncke to Henry Rollins -- the final half hour is a dizzying mix of quick cuts and fleeting words -- though it certainly does indicate the breadth of Beat syle, the film takes on a very slapdash quality. The admirable recreations of Ginsberg, Kerouac and Burroughs seem unncessary when there's so much available footage, especially in a film that runs only 90 minutes. Still, ten seconds of Neal's madcap jitterbugging is worth all the well-intentioned homage. (One final sticking point: an all-inclusive overview of Beat influence that doesn't include Patti Smith, Tom Verlaine or Richard Hell isn't really complete, is it?) Workman did extensive digging in the film archives, however, reminding us that the Beat movement was as visual as it was literary. The final scenes of Ginsberg reading his own words on Times Square marquees is inspired.

A little disappointing but still worth seeing.......2003-10-28

The DVD is interesting, but there is too much of the same old commentary that has been circulating in beat documentaries for years. Many of the folks interviewed weren't all that significant to the movement. However, the Burroughs footage alone is worth the effort - but not nearly enough Jack Kerouac footage - there should have been much more of Jack and much less modern critique by folks who just weren't there. I would have liked to have seen more of Gregory Corso as well, but he has some priceless moments in the film! The Neil Cassady footage is also very good. Ginsberg is Ginsberg. I didn't get the point of the Johnny Depp/Dennis Hopper/John Turturro bits. Although Turturro's performance is by far the best! Overall, it's a nice documentary but not as ground breaking as was hyped.

'Source' of Inspiration.......2002-07-10

"The Source," director Chuck Workman's documentary about the Beat Generation, is as close to communing with a bygone generation as possible. In this examination of the lives of modern American literature's unholy Trinity -- Allen Ginsberg ("HOWL"), Jack Kerouac ("On the Road") and William S. Burroughs ("Naked Lunch") -- and how they unwittingly made thoughts pulse to their own strange beat, Workman's film releases the essence of these legends by casting a spell of media voodoo. Ironically, this same method of divination is responsible for bringing bits of these great personalities into the minds of today's commercially fed youth -- remember the infamous Burroughs Nike ad and the use of Kerouac's image to sell blue jeans?

This look back at the fathers of the Beat Generation was filmed before Ginsberg was silenced by cancer in the spring of 1997, yet the poet functions as a spirit-guide not unlike Virgil in Dante's "Inferno." He gently takes us from the initial meeting of the three writers in 1944 at Columbia University to their inspiration by Neal Cassady through the '50s, the Jazz Age and into the '60s with the youthful interpretation of what they started and how it fomented a revolution.

Like Dante, we are left on our own for much of the documentary to sort through the barrage of incredible footage, interviews and huge cast of players, which Workman must have sold nearly a pound of his own soul to procure. The surreal nature of Burroughs loading his gun or watching Neal Cassady do a jig by a Volkswagen bus, plunges the audience even deeper into the past by humanizing men whose mythic importance is on the same level as JFK or James Dean.

It is these scenes that make "The Source" such a fine record of a lost age. Workman's labor of love is crafted like the best college history courses. We hear exactly what altered the state of the spoken and written word, and the writers' astonishment that they were being emulated and taken so seriously. Burroughs' contempt, Kerouac's confusion and Ginsberg's quiet acceptance of their fame are illuminating to those of us who weren't there or didn't pay close enough attention to the centers of culture.

Workman goes a bit astray with his use of reenactments, a decidedly MTV convention that, for the most part, serve only as a minor distraction. It's easy to buy Johnny Depp reciting bits and pieces of Jack Kerouac's works in what looks like a roadside bar, but Dennis Hopper's attempts at sections of Burroughs' "Junky," "Interzone" and "Queer" are terrible. It might be because Hopper is, in fact, a legend unto himself, and it's difficult to see him as another from the same period. (An excellent Burroughs can be seen in David Cronenberg's "Naked Lunch" starring Peter Weller as an amalgamated William S.). All is forgiven, though, because the fresh memory of John Turturro's visceral rendition of Ginsberg's "HOWL" outside the Rockland State Hospital in New York City is unforgettable and truly inspired.

However, much of the footage is painful, and Workman is determined to present this mythological period by picking at the scabs of time and the recent commercial deification of these people. Scenes of an angry and pickled Kerouac trying to discuss the essence of writing with talk show host Steve Allen -- and then if you can believe it, William F. Buckley -- are quite sobering and make it clear that theirs' was more of a struggle than a party.

Then there are the shots of Burroughs that are about as comforting as the cold sweat that lets the addict know he hasn't killed himself. He's young and dangerous, wielding a knife in one scene and a syringe in the next. And although there is a perverse thrill watching the world-famous junky shoot up for the camera, we also get to see the needles in his eyes filled with scorn for anyone unlucky enough to be on the other side of that camera. One can almost feel him looking through the movie screen, searching for the kind of people who will eventually frequent "art houses" to watch films about things that should be read in books.

Just when it appears that everything is getting too weird, Ginsberg returns. Wrapped in a blanket and looking so much like his Dantaen counterpart, he glides through the early morning light of New York -- with lines of his poetry materializing on a nearby movie marquee.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Set

Bob Hope Movie Collection

Great Set---Bad Packaging

The Ultimate Bob Hope Collection (The Great Lover / How to Commit Marriage / The Lemon Drop Kid / My Favorite Brunette / Paris Holiday / The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell / Road to Bali / Road to Rio / The Seven Little Foys / Son of Paleface)
Starring: Bob Hope
Manufacturer: Bci / Eclipse
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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On the Road With Bob Hope and Bing Crosby Collection (Road to Singapore/Road to Zanzibar/Road to Morocco/Road to Utopia)

Bob Hope Tribute Collection - Sorrowful Jones / The Paleface Double Feature

Casanova's Big Night

Fancy Pants

The Princess and the Pirate

ASIN: B000IU37VG
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Set.......2007-03-21

Despite the packaging - (disks pilled on top of each other so to get at the bottom disk you have to first remove the ones on top.) Very inconvientient to manage. Because of the packiaging I had to rate the set as a 4, but if I was just rating the transfers themselves I would have given it a 5. This is the best transfer of the movies included that I have ever seen. My Favorite Brunette and Road to Bali were especially good - video sharp and clear - sound acceptible for movies of this age. The color on Bali was especially good - others I've seen had very poor, washed out colors. I have been completely happy with this set and would not hesitate to recommend it.

Bob Hope Movie Collection.......2007-01-18

I enjoyed the movies but the case it came in was really terrible so many disc's in a very badly designed holder. I am afraid they will become scratched!

Great Set---Bad Packaging.......2007-01-17

If you're a fan of Bob Hope-then this is a great buy. Some Classics here including The Lemon Drop Kid, Seven Little Foys, 2 Road Movies ( Rio & Bali ) plus some of Hope's later-and lesser efforts, i.e. How to Commit Marriage etc.
Though not a fan of these later movies they're still interesting to watch, but it's the earlier stuff that makes this set well worth owning-and the price cannot be beaten.
The only drawback is that because of the budget price-tag the set is presented with five double-sided discs virtually stacked on top of each other making them easily damaged if not careful.
However, having said that, I'm very happy with this package at such a bargain price. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

My copy of this cute movie worked just fine
One of Bob Hope's best, a Hilarious Pirate Spoof!
At Last!
One of Bob Hope's Best
Awesome comedic swashbuckling fun!

The Princess and the Pirate
Starring: Bob Hope , Virginia Mayo , Walter Brennan , Walter Slezak , and Victor McLaglen
Director: Sidney Lanfield , and David Butler
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007O3902
Release Date: 2005-05-17

Amazon.com

Bob Hope is in top form in this Technicolor parody of pirate pictures, doing his best vaudeville shtick as an inept performer trying to save princess Virginia Mayo from the evil clutches of governor Walter Slezak and pirate Victor McLaglen. It's all ridiculous fun, of course, but if you're a fan of Hope, you never tire of his self-effacing gags and double-entendres. His out-of-place show biz jabs were always clever, and they're all the funnier in this period setting--particularly the Bing Crosby jokes. But Walter Brennan nearly steals the film as a wacky pirate scheming to steal buried treasure, and tattooing the map on Hope's chest. Yet the two best routines are when Hope tries to conceal his chest while taking a bath with Slezak, and when he tries to impersonate McLaglen as "the Hook." --Bill Desowitz

Description

The legendary Bob Hope takes to the high seas in this hilarious, OscarÂ(r)-nominated* romantic comedy co-starring Virginia Mayo, Walter Slezak, Walter Brennan and Victor McLaglen! Sylvester the Great (Hope) is a 17th-century entertainer with an act so atrocious, he's exiled from England. Aboard a ship bound for America, he finds himself falling for the beautiful Princess Margaret(Mayo), a woman uninterested in lovenot to mention his lousy one-liners. But when an evil band of pirates attacks the ship and captures the princess, her only hope is the cowardly comedian. Can Sylvester stop cracking jokes and muster the courage to rescue his royal love? In other words, will heand Margaret end up walking down the aisle or walking the plank? *1944: Art Direction (Color); Nonmusical Score

Customer Reviews:

My copy of this cute movie worked just fine.......2007-09-13

This movie was not what I would call laugh out loud funny, but I did giggle a few times and it made me smile a often.

Bob hope as the cowardly vaudevillian was naturally funny, as expected. I had never watched a Virgina Mayo movie before. She was pretty, funny, and had a great singing voice. Maude Eburne was convincing as the landlady of the inn. She was just creepy enough to be funny. However, it was Walter Brennan as Featherhead who stole the show. He played a crazy pirate, who was smarter than he looked. I do not want to write more and possible divulge spoilers.

The makeup and costumes were just beautiful, especially the governor's clothes. The sets at times were a little phony, but not too bad considering that this movie was made in 1944.

Overall this movie was good and I would watch it again. I give it three and three quarters stars.

One of Bob Hope's best, a Hilarious Pirate Spoof!.......2007-09-12

When producer Samuel Goldwyn 'borrowed' Paramount's biggest comedy star, Bob Hope, for 1944's "The Princess and the Pirate", he provided the comedian with all the ingredients for a classic; a great script (by Everett Freeman, Dan Hartman, Melville Shavelson, and a host of uncredited Hope gag writers), a first-rate director (David Butler), a sexy co-star (Virginia Mayo), top-notch supporting players (including Walter Brennan, Walter Slezak, and Victor McLaglen), and a cameo by (who else?) Bing Crosby. How could the film miss? And to Hope's credit, the film still holds up as one of his best, over sixty years after it's release!

As entertainer Sylvester the Great, Hope plays his signature 'heroic coward' character, protecting incognito princess Mayo (who, naturally, falls for him), does a funny 'drag' sequence as a truly ugly gypsy (while fending off the amorous advances of addled Brennan), and thwarting the machinations of an evil island ruler (Slezak, who'd play a similar role in "The Pirate") and ruthless pirate (McLaglen, gleefully chewing up the scenery). The tone is light-hearted (Hope occasionally addresses the audience, sharing a one-liner with us), has a great song ("Kiss Me in the Moonlight"), and the end result was not only a box office hit, but earned two Oscar nominations.

If you're a Bob Hope fan, this is a 'must' for your collection!

At Last!.......2007-06-11

I don't know about those other reviews, my copy seemed fine so they must have fixed those poor CQ issues - what else is there to say; Its Bob Hope and Pirates!!!

One of Bob Hope's Best.......2007-05-21

I found this movie to be one of his best. In this swashbuckling movie I found a great mix of Pirate action adventure and comedy. The action adventure was real clean fun, and the comedy romance wasn't too mushy. This is a great film for both young and old alike. My 4 yr old boy loved it; I was amazed it kept his attention. He learned alot about Pirates too.
My friends 13 yr old daughter couldn't stop laughing.

Awesome comedic swashbuckling fun!.......2007-02-12

What a cute movie! Bob is just the best when it comes to comedy. This is probably the funniest swashbuckling comedy I've seen so far. Love who Virginia Mayo leaves with at the end of the movie - you know it isn't going to be Bob, he usually can't seem to get & keep the girl!

If you want a funny twist on pirate movies, look no further than this movie. A nice alternative to the over-the-top performance of Johnny Depp's as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Average customer rating:

HEY, FANCY PANTS!!
Fancy Pants 1950
Hope & Ball reunite in an all out comedy
HOPE & LUCY= WACKY WESTERN SPOOF....
Watch out world Here she comes!

Fancy Pants
Starring: Bob Hope , Lucille Ball , Bruce Cabot , Jack Kirkwood , and Lea Penman
Director: George Marshall
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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