Musicals Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection

Product Description

Musical Classics 50 Movie MegaPack - Fabulous Dorseys, Calendar Girl, Sunny, Swing Hostess, Dixiana, Palooka, Glorifying the American Girl, Check & Double Check, Paradise in Harlem, Duke is Tops, Reet Petite & Gone, Killer Diller, Delightfully Dangerous, Private Buckaroo, Stage Door Canteen, Career Girl, Second Chorus, Trocadero, People Are Funny, Doll Face, Great Baggo, Dancing Pirate, Road Show, Hi Diddle Diddle, Rock-Rock-Rock, King Kelly of the USA, Rock N' Roll Revue, Rhythm & Blues Revue, 'Til the Clouds Roll By, All-American Co-Ed, Hi Di Ho, Breakfast in Hollywood, Soundies Festival, Soundies Clavalcade, Reaching For the Moon, Mr. Imperium, Royal Wedding, Pied Piper of Hamelin, Wild Guitar, Murder With Music, Jack & The Beanstalk, Road to Hollywood, Big Show, Black Tights, Fiesta, Let's Go Collegiate, Up in the Air, Minstrel Man, Rhythm in the Clouds, Sitting on the Moon

System Requirements:

Running Time 3965 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Películas clásicas.......2007-09-09

Es una buena oportunidad de recuperar, por poco dinero, unas películasd clásicas que están en el recuerdo de todos los mayores. Lástima que no estén dobladas al español.

No blockbusters here.......2007-06-30

While the most celebrated musicals have been left out of this large collection, what remains is still worthwhile. The experience of watching these is a travel back in time, to a somewhat more innocent era of film making. True, there was the Depression, Prohibition, World War II, etc., which were not innocent at all, but the musicals that depicted them were.

In fact, there are moments that are almost magical in these films, such as in the one about the Dorsey brothers. And the quality of the transfers to DVD is acceptable if not perfect. This boxed set is a real find.

Those were the days.......2007-05-08

This is a very good compilation of some of the geat old time musicals and worth every cent of the money I paid, I suuggest old timers like me to buy this box set from Amazon to bring the great memories of our young days. John Fenech Malta

An inexpensive way to go panning for musical gold.......2007-04-21

I own three of the 50 classic movie packs so far - horror, comedy, and my latest purchase, this 50 musicals pack. I really liked the horror and comedy packs, but I felt like I had to go panning for gold in this pack more than the other two. The movies can be broken down into four basic categories, and depending on how you feel about them, you may or may not consider this a worthwhile purchase.

1. Early talkie pre-code musicals and pseudo-musicals. These include "Glorifying the American Girl", "Dixiana", "The Great Gabbo", "Palooka", "Reaching for the Moon", "Check and Double Check", and "King Kelly of the USA". Because these movies were made in the era of 1929 - 1934, you have to deal with the problems of early sound era cinematography and some crackling in the audio. However, if you are a big film history buff like myself, this collection is a cost-effective way to view and own these rarely seen films. Realize that "Glorifying the American Girl" and "The Great Gabbo" do not include the Technicolor sequences that were originally filmed for them - both movies are entirely in Black and White.

2. Great movies that inexplicably are in the public domain. The movies in this category include "Royal Wedding" with Fred Astaire, "Till the Clouds Roll By" with Judy Garland, "Swing Hostess" and "Stage Door Canteen" with a variety of stars. Of course, your version of "great movies" will vary according to taste.

3. Good to poor movies that are in the public domain. This is the largest class of movies in the group. The better ones include "Hi Diddle Diddle" starring Adolphe Menjou that is more of a comedy than anything and is obviously targeted at a World War II audience. I also enjoyed "Calendar Girl" which had some pretty good music and OK performances. "Black Tights" with Maurice Chevalier and Cyd Charisse has some great dancing in it, but the video transfer is truly awful, and "Second Chorus" is a film that has Fred Astaire playing a collegiate trumpet player of all things and is quite enjoyable but certainly not in the league with Astaire's top films. Of course, in this category, you must also tolerate the "dross with the divine". The worst movies in this category are "Wild Guitar" which I would just recommend because it has to be one of the worst films I have ever seen, and it isn't even that old compared to the others in this pack. Made in 1962, it is obviously supposed to be a copy of Elvis Presley's story. However, the star of this film - Arch Hall, Jr. - is no Elvis in either the acting, singing, or looks department. "Road Show" is pure punishment to sit through. Adolphe Menjou, who can usually make any picture better, cannot save this 70 minute long slapstick parade that gets tiresome after 20 minutes. Last but not least, is "The Dancing Pirate", which is so bad it is good. It involves an 1830's Boston dance instructor who is kidnapped by pirates, escapes in California, and winds up giving dancing lessons to the then all-Hispanic residents of that territory. It is as campy as it sounds, and actually fun in places.

4. African-American musicals from the 30's through the 50's made by long defunct companies. Besides the early-talkie musicals and films, this is the other reason to own this collection. Although some stereotypes can be found in these productions, they largely portray African-Americans as normal and dignified individuals decades before the civil rights era began to bear any fruit in popular culture. Most of the plots are very thin and are just there to hold together the musical performances - and what performances they are! The performers include Nat King Cole, Cab Calloway, Lena Horne, Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, as well as some acts I had never heard of that perform some great rhythm and blues numbers. These films include "Duke is Tops", "Reet, Petite and Gone", "Killer Diller", and "Paradise in Harlem" among many others. To enjoy these films you will have to tolerate the rather cheap looking sets probably due to the rock-bottom budgets these film gems had to endure in order to get produced in the first place.

If you are a fan of the off-beat musicals made from the 1930's through the 1950's as I am and aren't afraid of tolerating the video defects that come with the territory in these old public domain films, I would recommend this set.

You can't go wrong!.......2007-04-14

Hey, 50 shows for under $20.00, how could you go wrong? You'd expect to pay five bucks a copy for some of these movies, so even if you don't like them all, you're ahead if you enjoy a few. I won't list the shows, the other reviewers have already done that, but don't hesitate to buy this set if you like the older shows!

Average customer rating:

For Widescreen Viewers
That's Entertainment
Comentarios
Some of the very best from "The Dream Factory"
That's Entertainment

That's Entertainment
Starring: Fred Astaire , Bing Crosby , Gene Kelly , Peter Lawford , and Liza Minnelli
Director: Jack Haley Jr.
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: B0002OXVD2
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Amazon.com

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

Customer Reviews:

For Widescreen Viewers.......2007-08-07

I'm a purist and love to see the productions in their original aspect ratio. Having a widescreen HDTV adds to this pleasure, but could also have made viewing "That's Entertainment" problematic because of the film's mix of clips from the pre- and post-widescreen eras. Thankfully, this DVD is anamorphic and the clips roll seamlessly from standard to wide and back again. It was a sheer pleasure to watch - not quite the same as sitting in the massive 70mm theater in which I first experienced this movie, but as good as you can get for staying at home. My only quibble is that many of the older (ca. 1930s) B&W clips are quite grainy. If it's that noticeable on my small HDTV, I'm sure the grains would have seemed huge on the big screen - yet I don't recall that being a problem. So I wonder about the quality control when they made the digital transfer. Still, that's only a minor complaint for a thoroughly enjoyable movie.

That's Entertainment.......2007-07-04

What makes this dizzying whirl of spectacular montages so much fun is the mix of famous sequences with colorful lesser-known bits, like Clark Gable's rendition of "Puttin' on the Ritz," Jimmy Stewart's serenade in "Easy to Love," and Jean Harlow vamping up "Reckless." Narrated by a roster of screen legends, Haley's magnificent homage to the big-budget musicals of yesteryear was a surprise box-office hit for MGM in 1974, and led to two sequels. Pure movie magic from start to finish, "That's Entertainment!" will sweep you off your feet.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

Porter was one of the masters of American song writing, and naughty as well.
Perfect Documentary
I want more!
Informative but limited
This DVD is the Top !

You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
Starring: Bobby Short , Frank Sinatra , Judy Garland , Robert H. Montgomery Jr. , and Fred Astaire
Director: Allan Albert
Manufacturer: Winstar
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 1572522399
Release Date: 1998-03-31

Customer Reviews:

Porter was one of the masters of American song writing, and naughty as well........2006-08-02

What a strange combination of information and frustration is this 56 minute television documentary on the life and works of Cole Porter. On the one hand, we have an abbreviated but honest look at one of America's greatest Broadway songwriters. On the other hand, the examples given us of Porter's songs are more often than not drawn from terrible TV kinescopes and excerpts from some of the lead-foot Hollywood musicals made from his Broadway shows. The result is informative but irritating.

Bobby Short introduces us to Porter at the start of the program: "Song writing is a complicated craft and Cole Porter was one of its masters, and one of the few who wrote both the words and the music. What's more, Cole created a world we hadn't seen before in quite this way. It is the world he lived in, a world of penthouses, chiffon and champagne, the world where Ginger fell in love with Fred for the very first time."

Porter inherited millions. When he married his wife, Linda, she brought to the marriage even more money than he had. He was an enthusiastic homosexual, a social creature and a terrible snob. He just might have become, without her, an aging musical dilettante writing amusing and condescending songs for his social set. She was a woman uninterested in the physical aspects of married life, who took Porter as he was and who believed in his talent. The two of them had a marriage of understanding and commitment that lasted until her death. After years of living in Venetian palaces and the most socially acceptable Parisian apartments, a combination of his talent and desire for success, her pushing him to keep working at his writing, and the contacts of Irving Berlin, who believed in Porter, Cole Porter returned to America and began his trajectory of huge success on Broadway.

In that period of great American song writing, from the late Twenties to the late Forties, the time of Rodgers, Hart, Hammerstein, Berlin, the Gershwins and Kern, Cole Porter came into his own. And in some odd way, he kept the pretensions and snobbery of his social life separate from the creativity and collaborations of his song writing life. Could anything be more socially pretentious than having an exclusive luncheon party...and requiring one's quests to speak French? It's a bit sad to listen to Kitty Carlisle Hart gush about the parties she and her husband, Moss Hart, went to at the Porters, and to realize that these were his show business parties, and that she and her husband were most likely never invited to his high social events. But on Broadway and in Hollywood, he was a generous collaborator who treated the people he worked with as the creative equals they were. And without a doubt the songs he wrote excuse a lot of snobbish behavior. The songs with his lush and often melodramatic melodies combined with lyrics so clever, so naughty at times and, often, so poignant, are what his life and work are really about. It's his songs we remember, not his social or personal life. If only this program had been able to give us those songs in better form. We may learn about Anything Goes, but we're given to look at a kinescope of an aging Ethel Merman and a grinning Frank Sinatra from a television production made in the Fifties. Even worse, we have to endure clips from some of those lumbering movie musicals from the Sixties...Shirley MacLaine and Sinatra so out of place with Porter's brand of naughty, sophisticated mischief...Hollywood's version of Kiss Me Kate where Porter's lyrics were dumbed down and sanitized.

For a quick and relatively honest look at Porter's life, this DVD is worth having. To appreciate his songs, however, buy some good CD's. I'd start with Bobby Short Loves Cole Porter, Short's You're the Top: The Love Songs of Cole Porter, and Lee Wiley Sings the Songs of George & Ira Gershwin & Cole Porter. To appreciate his mastery of lyric writing, dip into The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter, edited by Robert Kimball

Perfect Documentary.......2004-10-11

If you want to know Cole Porter, this is a better introduction than the recent film effort, "De-Lovely," and far better than the old Cary Grant fiction. Both movies fudge on Cole's character, with "De-Lovely" trying to depict Porter as a guy working out his gay issues through marriage, which is total nonsense.

Cole Porter was arguably the greatest of all the composers of American Standards, for reasons explained in "You're the Top". And to explain this, as well as to outline one of the most colorful celebrity lives of the 20th century, are people who actually knew Porter, knew him socially, worked with him and performed his music - people like Bobby Short, Kitty Carlisle (Mrs. Moss Hart), Brendan Gill, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Connick, Jr., Porter's family from his childhood, etc. Especially insightful are the observations of Porter's childhood and his marriage. They go far in explaining both the people and the era that nurtured his talent and later provided the milieu from which he drew his "delightful, de-lovely" themes.

No punches are pulled, nothing glossed over for the sake of image or box-office receipts. And of course the Porter music, complimenting the narrative, is a chronicle itself, for it captures the zeitgeist brilliantly, performed by the headliners of the times, from early sound to TV's Golden Age, when the audience was more up to Porter's level of elegance, style and wit than today's dressed-down, dumbed-down generation.

I suggest that if you have seen or are going to see either of the bio-flicks, that you treat yourself to this "wonderful, marvelous" look at a life and its era - alas, as intimate a look as we'll ever get. They truly broke the mold...

I want more!.......2003-01-18

This is really a wonderful treat for fans of Cole Porter or those who know little about him. It has a nice mix of rare and familiar songs mixed with thoughts and recollections about Cole by various friends, musicians, and performers. You get a nice sense of what his life was like along with a decent overview of his music.

If you have never heard of Cole (or know very little about him), you will probably be a fan after viewing this. Even if you are very familiar with Cole, you still will find some interesting tidbits in the DVD. My only complaints with this are the length (only an hour) the lack of additional material. It would seem that so much additional material could have been placed easily on this DVD; but the only additional material is a listing of the songs on the DVD (without any information about them) and quick list of his musicals. How about fleshing out some of that information?

Definitely recommended.

Informative but limited.......2002-12-28

This dvd was informative as a standard biography, however there is not much in terms of extras on the disk. The DVD format provides an opportunity for a topic such as this to be covered richly. Unfortunately that is not the case with this disk.

This DVD is the Top !.......2000-07-17

`You're the Top' is a short, but worthwhile trip through the turbulent life of a 20th Century Icon. A great deal of depth and insight is communicated by sharp editing and carefully selected film clips. Originally this was an hour long Television special. Don't let that put you off, the word `special' is very appropriate here. Why should you buy this Documentary? To appreciate and enjoy his musical talent chiefly by a bewildering number of rare excerpts from films and TV shows (notably a Kinescope of the original cast of `Kiss Me Kate') and see the ironies of someone who lived a private life very different from his public persona. Even today, the classy image of Porter as generated by his timeless songs and music hide a veil of a tragic and melancholy man, who was born into success, but died unhappy. His story is not just of music, but of a struggle against life itself. What makes this a special event is that the combination of good interviews with contemporaries, the relaxed and adult approach make for repeated viewing and a thirst for more. Whether you are a Porter fan, or have never heard of him, you will gain something special from this documentary, and perhaps learn a little in the moral sense of the pitfalls and unhappiness that can come, even with great wealth. What lives on is his music, which history will never erase. Watching this Documentary will leave you feeling better for the experience.

Average customer rating:

Not Quite The First, But It's Still Entertainment
Has no peer
Not as good as part one or three but the most unique!
DVD Box set Please!
Leave u singing and tapping all night

That's Entertainment, Pt. 2
Starring: Louis Armstrong , Fred Astaire , John Barrymore , Leslie Caron , and Bing Crosby
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002OXVDC
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Customer Reviews:

Not Quite The First, But It's Still Entertainment.......2006-07-15

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT PART 2 is not quiet the caliber of the first film in the series, but it still has a great deal to offer. Like the first film, it has all sorts of great clips from MGM musicals. For musical lovers makes this film intriguing is that unlike the first film it's not a collection of the best known scenes, but secondary scenes that are treasured by audiences. For example, the Fred Astyaire/Cyd Charisse number in THE BAND WAGON is in the first film but ask anyone who loves this film what one of the best scenes would be, it would bee the "Triplets" scene which part two includes. Ann Miller's dancing among the musical instruments in SMALL TOWN GIRL makes the first film but the effervescent scene where Bobby Vann believes he's headed to stardom and hops his way through the town makes part two and if you're a fan of the MGM musical, this stuff is great.

One of the potential drawbacks of this film, at least today, is the Fred Astaire/Gene Kelley narration and dance collaboration. Today it's kind of hokey and distracting, but I'm sure when it was released, their loyal fans probably thought it was great to see them again, and even if it is a bit overdone at times, it's evident how much they loved being song and dance men and how much they did contribute to film in general.

Now if someone from MGM (or Warner Home Video) is reading this, I'd like to make a suggestion. In the overture an excerpt from LILI ("Hi-Lili Hi-Lo") can be heard. We also become nostalgic for SMALL TOWN GIRL and it makes me wonder whether or not it's time for MGM to look at some of the classics included in all the THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT series and do some re-releasing in DVD. I'm sure amny film buffs would appreciate it.

Has no peer.......2005-03-05

This sequel to the 50th Anniversary compilation from 1974, is a treat. Some critics dissected Gene Kelly on the account he was producing is own memorial service... Morbid indeed... It is a flawless, wonderful compilation. Many studios have tried to copy the excellense of these films, but they don`t have the legacy nor the artistery so if u wanna c revisit history of the Hollywood that was.... check out this compilation-series...

Not as good as part one or three but the most unique!.......2004-10-28

There are some gems in this 1976 edition of "That's Entertainment", but seeing Fred and Gene trying to dance and clown was hard for me to watch. Although they were energetic and supreme in their craft in their heyday, they are obviously trying too hard to be entertaining within the context of introducing the clips. It was heartwarming, but somehow painful to watch them TRYING to be great again. I would have much preferred them to simply introduce the clips in dignified fashion... and surprise... that's exactly what the producers did in "That's Entertainment part 3" in 1994. It worked as beautifully as it did in the first edition. Both 1 and 3 also concentrated on MUSICAL numbers, and part 2 does not... it seemed to mock the old musical style more than present it. Having said that, there are some real gems here... so I gave it only 3 stars. Part 1 and 3 are 5 star movies.

DVD Box set Please!.......2004-06-27

when are the powers that be going to get their act together and issue this great series in a deluxe box set-the three TE films as well as That's Dancing. As long as they give it the treatment it deserves, and re-master it properly.

Leave u singing and tapping all night.......2003-08-04

I love show tunes and broadway. This is a really fun movie. If u have part 1 or 3, u may get some repeated clips. Astaire and Kelly host this and even though it is sometimes chessy, its fun

Fred Astaire/Frank Sinatra/Elizabeth Taylor

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Fred Astaire/Frank Sinatra/Elizabeth Taylor
Starring: Fred Astaire
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc Corporation
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00019GHYI
Release Date: 2004-01-06

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