Reviews

What a little wonder this show was!! If you got to see any of it, you are very lucky. So far as I know it has never been shown in any other format than its original one on network TV. I particularly remember Lois Nettleton (a great favorite of mine) and Gary Sandy. Gary as a sexually harassed secretary was funny and pitiful at the same time. I guess it maybe cut too close to home for the network, because it sank with no trace. But, gosh, it was funny.

Isn't it unfortunate that it has not had the same exposure as some of the other, far more familiar, Lear products? If someone is sitting on this little jewel, why don't you put it out there for people to see? I have a feeling it would be every bit as funny as it was almost 30 years ago. Maybe more so.

Well, I do, and so should you. If you are young, then watch this and see (and hear) what real music is like. If you are older, then watch this and remember how wonderful it was. There's no point in poking holes in this movie. Just be grateful that Scorsese had enough foresight to get this magnificent concert filmed. I have watched it over almost 30 years, and it just gets better and better. I always turn it on thinking I will just indulge for a few minutes. Every time I end up watching until the end. Maybe if enough people watch this film and understand it, the level of popular music nowadays might actually go up.

If you like fairy tales, Italian movies and/or piano ragtime, then you will love this movie. If you try to rationalize fairy tales, stay away. If you find it awkward that English may be their second language, stay away. And most of all, if you don't like ragtime and Jelly Roll Morton, don't even start. But if you enjoy these things or maybe even just two of them, then have a ball. I looked to see who the pianist was, because I'm sure it's not Tim Roth or Clarence Williams III, or they would both be selling records instead of working as actors. The pianists were actually Jelly Roll himself and Scott Joplin on recordings. Isn't that cool?

The truth about the main characters in this movie are quite enough to make you glad the play is used as a basis, and not the real history. First, Elizabeth was born in 1533, and Essex was born in 1566. At the time this movie starts, she is 63 and he is 30. It is true, I think, that Elizabeth was very susceptible to flattery and required the men in her court to flatter her and flirt with her to achieve the favors and positions they wanted. Add to this, that Essex's mother, Lettice, had married Elizabeth's lifelong lover, Robert Dudley, who then became Essex's stepfather. Essex was also with Dudley when he died on the Continent. Dudley's death really shook Elizabeth. She certainly did put up with more from Essex than seems reasonable, only coming down hard on him when he finally incited London to rebel against her. Elizabeth, who did things repugnant to her, such as ordering Mary Queen of Scots to death, tried hard to save Essex, but not enough to pardon him for openly inciting rebellion. Elizabeth was no fool. The movie is beautiful, but except for the names has little reality in it. But it's good entertainment, even if a little far-fetched. You can blame Anderson's play for the rest of it.

When this first came out in the theater and I saw it then, there was a military academy in the town where I lived. And I was just going into high school. I thought this movie was the greatest thing I had ever seen, maybe the greatest movie ever made. I felt like it had been made especially for me, my friends and our local cadets. And the song, Buckle Down Winsocki was absolutely the best fight song in the world. I realize now that the movie probably wasn't that good, it was trite and predictable, as well as being juvenile. It still thrills me, and the memories that I have of that time all come back when I watch this movie again. I'm not capable of seeing it from any other point of view, so I am going to give this a 10, just for old times' sake.

This movie is truly unbelievable, in every sense of the word. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and hearing, and I didn't believe it anyhow. Hepburn is probably my favorite actress, but this was ridiculous. Being a hillbilly myself, I know what it should sound like, and it's not Kate's Back Bay accent. The only thing I found funnier was the fact that the guy who played Charlie Chan so many times, Sydney Toler, was cast as another one of the hillbillies, with accent to match. Maybe this was a practical joke, come to think of it. I can think of no other reason for such peculiar casting. Well, maybe this. I noticed that Natalie Schaefer, Lovey Howell on Gilligan's Island, appeared in this play on Broadway. Can you imagine what part she might have played?

Maybe "The Cotton Club" is an acquired taste. I watched it the first time for the dancing, then again for the sets and backgrounds, and then again for people who were in it, and now I'm on my fourth time and I am beginning to understand it. I have managed to identify nearly every historical person in it, and that's not easy. However, this movie ranks up there with "Once Upon a Time in America", so far as I am concerned, and it has many similarities, the primary one being that the stories are so complicated that you have to watch the movie over and over before you 'get' it. There are many good actors in this, and also some surprises. I recognized Mario Van Peebles, but had to go hunt in the entire cast to be sure I was right. There isn't any law that says a movie has to come across to you in one watching, as used to be the case if you could only see them in a theater. So why don't you try watching this one several times, since there seems to be way too much story and characters for just one movie.

This is a movie you can't leave alone. At no point did I lose interest in it, and I have never been a Mickey Rooney fan, so I wasn't expecting that much, but wow, was I surprised. This is a great story, very logical in the way it develops, and I cannot fault Mickey at all. He was great, very believable and gripping. I guess that's the word, this movie grips you. For once I really cared what was going to happen to someone in a movie. About half way through the meaning of the title flashed in my mind. Quicksand, that's what he was in, all right. And the more he struggled, the more he sank. It took an abrupt plot twist to get out of all this, but I can't complain, it held my interest to the last.

First off, the technicolor is beautiful. The staging is terrific. But anytime I have to watch Esther Williams,the wet one, when someone as attractive as Cyd Charisse is there is a mystery to me. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Cyd broke her leg during this movie, was unable to do the dance sequence herself, and had to drop out of the line-up for Easter Parade, where her part was taken by Ann Miller, not a bad dancer herself. The sappy things that Peter Lawford had to say to Esther Williams were the responsibility of the writers, I suppose, but that didn't make it any easier to listen to. Peter Lawford and Ricardo Montalban were very juicy looking male leads. Cugat's music is timeless, and I guess some people enjoy Jimmy Durante doing the same old thing. This really isn't a bad movie, but musicals, particularly wet ones, need to be excellent to make us forget how artificial the whole thing is.

I believe, in spite of the way the credits read, that this is from a play by George Bernard Shaw. Which means you have to really pay attention, since it is going to be satirical. They certainly didn't skimp on this cast. And the unique (for the time) use of animation sequences lends another facet. The main problem seems to be that this picture is mistaken for an action drama. Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne was a very real character. The other characters are just representative of the attitudes and problems of the era. The fact that they don't speak in addled regional accents is a bonus. I think perhaps this movie would have been much more attractive in color, since I think black and white are really best for film noir. It adds nothing to this movie, in fact, it detracts from it. Think how lovely it would have been with all those redcoats and all those trees. Still, the story can stand alone. It is really a modern story, set in a time of trouble, but it is generally satirical and humorous in tone. If Lancaster had gotten any more self-righteous it would have been nauseating.

This is one of the few movies that have allowed me to suspend my disbelief. It's as real as something that far back in the ages can ever be. This is no laughing matter; these people are desperate for fire. As their search goes along, we see all the perils of how and when they lived. I believed this story, and I have watched it numerous times now without having that belief shaken. It is a great relief not to have to watch explosions by the dozen, and people flying through the air in contravention of all rules of physics. There were no cardboard sets, no plastic imitations of objects, none of the things that make it impossible for me to believe in a movie. These people are real, their problems are real, then and now. We may not have to go hunt for fire anymore, but think about this movie next time you are caught in a traffic jam.

This is my favorite musical, not for the dancing alone, but it is the best. The dancers, not just Ann Miller and Rall, but Bob Fosse, Bobby Van, and Carol Haney!! What more could any dance fan want? There is always something new to see, no matter how many times you have watched it. The lyrics are magnificent, tricky and intriguing. When Howard Keel, dressed in those gorgeous tights, sings about all the women he has known, he's a knockout. Grayson is not my favorite actress, but she can sing, and she and Keel make a wonderful pair. I will admit that the music is great, but folks, catch the dancing!! The final dance number with the six dancers is superb, but how can you watch all six at once? You have to watch it several times, particularly the pair of Carol Haney and Bob Fosse.

I found this movie to be very painful to watch. It is not your typical Hollywood, let's glamorise everything, everyone has money, let's make it look pretty. These people are grindingly poor, the mother is dying of cancer, and our boy is trying to be his own man, without money or position. Tuning pianos seems like a difficult way to earn a living, but makes use of the only talent he really has, which is perfect pitch. For those who don't know, it is the ability to name any tone or note that you hear. This movie has a great supporting cast, Barry Fitzgerald and Jane Wyatt, just to mention two. Grant's mother is one of my favorite actresses, Ethel Barrymore. She really has too much class for the part she plays. And the sets make you glad you don't have to live there. Still memorable, though, in spite of being so depressing.

This movie, the Prince of Foxes, is a fascinating movie, great, almost true, story line, wonderful portrayals, unfortunately not in color. I don't dislike black and white, but this movie cried out for color. The backgrounds and interiors on this movie are the real thing, the first time after the war, and maybe ever, that actual Renaissance interiors were used for a movie set in that time. It is not as impressive on the small screen as it was in the theater, but it may be the only chance for us to see how these people really lived. I'm sure they probably didn't smell very good, but they and their surroundings are truly beautiful. One more thing; the scene where Everett Sloane pretends to remove Tyrone Power's eyes is horrifying and disgusting, and brought a gasp from the audience. Worth watching just for that scene, if it weren't already a real whizbang movie.

This movie is quite the best musical of the 50's, with more plot and excellent sideplay and bits. Of these bits, my favorites are Howard Keel's rendition of "Where Is the Life that Late I Led", and Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore's clever presentation of "Brush Up Your Shakespeare". Either one could stand alone, but when added to the dancing of Ann Miller, Bob Fosse, Bobby Van and Carol Chaney, you have a real winner. Very clever and upbeat. Kathryn Grayson was never a favorite of mine, but she is acceptable as Lily, and her number "I Hate Men" is a real winner. You know, this movie has so many excellent songs that it is very hard to pick just a few. "Always True to You, Darling, in my Fashion", "Tom, Dick and Harry"--Cole Porter was at the top of his form for this movie.