DVD

Average customer rating:

"You and Me...One more time!"
Baseball: Metaphor for life
Why it is called "America's Favorite Pasttime"
one of the best
Nice date night movie!

For Love of the Game
Starring: Kevin Costner , Kelly Preston , John C. Reilly , Jena Malone , and Brian Cox
Director: Sam Raimi
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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Bull Durham
Field of Dreams (Widescreen Two-Disc Anniversary Edition)
The Natural (Director's Cut)
61*
Tin Cup

ASIN: 078324021X
Release Date: 2000-04-04

Amazon.com

Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner) is having a bad day. His girlfriend Jane (Kelly Preston, stunning as ever) says she's leaving, and his boss (Brian Cox) says he's selling the business and ace employee Billy may be out of job. Sounds like business as usual for an old-fashioned veteran. However, the business is baseball and for Billy Chapel, the 40-year old former all-star for the Detroit Tigers, it means his career--and his life--is at a crossroads.

Although it is no Bull Durham, For Love of the Game finds a solid and very believable role for Costner. The film is based on Michael Shaara's (The Killer Angels) stream-of-consciousness novel (the rough manuscript was found after his death 1988). The entire film takes place on Billy's day on the mound against the Yankees, a meaningless late-season game for the Tigers, but everything for Billy. In flashbacks, he lingers over his long relationship with Jane and his baseball career (from World Series heroism to a career-threatening injury). His one viable link to the game at hand is his catcher, played winningly by John C. Reilly. Costner, like Chapel, is looking for one more great performance, but the film is too simplistic and loopy at times to resonate. The love story has an extra helping of cuteness, and legendary baseball announcer Vin Scully nearly takes on a leading role, waxing grandiloquent. It's no grand slam, but a solid double. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

"You and Me...One more time!".......2007-05-08

Those were the words of "Gus", John C. Riley(the more i see of this guy the more i like him)is the big hearted,battle worn,FAITHFUL,TRUSTY O'l catcher in this baseball guy movie turned LOVE STORY. This is the story of Billy Chapel. A once great pitcher for the Detroit Tigers on the brink of retirement. It's a story of a man who's got the biggest decision of his life/career to make...being traded by the new owners of the ball club and keep playing but for another team other than the only team he has ever known Professionally...or retirement?...If you're a use to be athlete...this tugs at your heart, taking you back to the last time you were able to suit up and play the greatest game in the world...baseball! Billy is a man who's obviously in love with the game and is having a heck of a time letting her go. Now by using the word "her'...i can describe both the game of baseball and Billy's "on again,off again" relationship with Jane Aubrey(the very Beautiful Kelly Preston), a New York Fashion magazine Editor who's more than a lil' hesitant with Costner's character's old school approach with their realtionship. Billy thinks (like i and countless other guys have) like a typical guy who takes advantage of a good thing to the point that he drives it away. Billy is old school and he isn't willing to commit to Jane, which she deperately needs him to do. Jane has been done wrong in the past more than a few times. She's a single mom of a teenage girl( played by the very CUTE Jena Malone)who's starting to challenge her mom's ways. In all ways this movie is just about life! Single parenting, being a stubborn man, relationships with friends, saying goodbye, the love of a good woman... and o'h yeah...the deepest love a man can have for the game of Baseball. The movie is set during the last game of what has been a very rough season for Billy and the Tigers. Inning by inning Billy goes through refections of his relationship with Jane and Heather(Jena's character), his career as a dominant pitching god for one team,the Detroit Tigers & everything from a career threatning injury and just plain old woman trouble. He's had a good life as a ball player but his career is coming to a close and now he has the decision of retirement or playing for another team. All the while his heart is with Jane but he is too stubborn to tell her how he really feels and just about pushes her completely away. Like a typical guy, Billy realizes and goes after her at all costs...Did i forget to mention the fact that this is all going on during a game that Billy just so happens to be pitching a perfect game in?...news of the sale of the Tigers forces Billy's hand to make a decision of retirement or trade...this triggers Billy's reflections. He realizes that's he's in love with Jane and he needs more than just "the game" to be complete in life. In typical Movie fashion Billy pitches the perfect game, retires, and goes after Jane. In the ending scene,Billy pours his heart to Jane at the airport in New York...he palns to chase her overseas but by chance she delays her flight to watch the game and is wrestling with her own feelings for Billy and trusting him. All in all, this is a great movie especially for the Costner buffs out there. I personally love all of Costner's baseball movies and i'd put this one at the top of my personal list! This is not a movie to rent, it's a definate buy!!! Billy Chapel is the man everybody wants to be and the man that no man wants to admit that he is...?!

Baseball: Metaphor for life.......2007-04-24

This movie wasn't really at all about baseball, but about the metaphor for life baseball is. Overall if you are looking for a film that is going to capture what baseball represents, then this is it!

Why it is called "America's Favorite Pasttime".......2007-03-28

Whether you love baseball or not, if you love a good movie, you will love this one. It is told in a unique and clever use of present time and flashback. Kevin Costner, what can I say? He had to be a ball player in another life. John C. Reilly looked as natural as a catcher on the diamond as he did on the stage as a song and dance man in "Chicago". Kelly Preston, my first time seeing her left me breathless. A superb job. Maybe I'm prejudiced because I do love baseball, but so will you after this. And you too may learn to hate the Yankee's fans.

one of the best.......2007-02-20

one of the best baseball DVD's out.....Follows the life of a washed up pitcher, as he flirts with immortality.....I recommend to any baseball fan

Nice date night movie!.......2007-01-31

Add one part love story and one part baseball sports flick and you have a great date night movie! This is a wonderful movie to watch. Kelly Preston and Kevin Costner do really great jobs of playing their roles in this movie, but more importantly the storyline is really well done. Costner plays an aging professional pitcher at the end of his career. On the last game he pitches, we see not only what is going on in his mind as a professional pitcher, but also flashbacks of his career over the years and his on again/off again romantic relationship with Preston's character. Definitely worth watching

Average customer rating:

50s melodramatic cheese
Gable Rules as Ford Looks On
mogambo dvd
Sweet
Jungle Heat

Mogambo
Starring: Clark Gable , Ava Gardner , Grace Kelly , Donald Sinden , and Philip Stainton
Director: John Ford
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Barefoot Contessa
King Solomon's Mines
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
The Night of the Iguana
Elephant Walk

ASIN: B000F7CMQ8
Release Date: 2006-06-20

Amazon.com

This remake of the 1932 Red Dust is famous for using the very same romantic leading man--21 years after the fact. But when that leading man is Clark Gable, what's a little gray hair in the temples? Gable was certainly still the great strutting rooster of American movies in 1953, when Mogambo made him a safari guide juggling two much younger women. First up is good-time girl Ava Gardner, who's game for a little harmless romp with Gable after she gets stood up by a playboy in the African jungle. But when Grace Kelly--the proper wife of a visiting anthropologist (Donald Sinden)--arrives on the scene, a new affair begins. The location shooting is much in the vein of King Solomon's Mines, although the story is much more intimate. This feels like a bit of a holiday for Hollywood's top director, John Ford, and not one of his most committed pictures. Still, Ford's unparalleled eye for backlit exteriors and for the way people move around in rooms is on display, even when the script wobbles. People always joke about Gable being too old for this movie, but that doesn't take into account his durable movie-star appeal--he certainly looks every inch the Hemingwayesque hunter, and it's not that big a stretch to imagine Gardner or Kelly in the clinches with him. Indeed, he and Grace Kelly had an offscreen affair during shooting, graying temples or not. --Robert Horton

Description

"Hey! A kangaroo," Eloise "Honey Bear" Kelly says when she sees a baby rhinoceros being lifted from an African pit. A Broadway showgirl stranded in the African jungle, Eloise is better suited for the urban jungle. Yet one look at safari guide Victor Marswell and she knows exactly where she wants to be. Times change but the fun remains when Clark Gable portrays man's-man Victor in a sassy, vibrant remake of Gable's 1932 Red Dust. Ava Gardner plays tough-hided, vulnerable-hearted Eloise. And Grace Kelly is the prim anthropologist's wife who catches Victor's roving eye. Both women earned Oscar? nominations,* with Kelly also winning a Supporting Actress Golden Globe. Directed by John Ford and filled with his lung-swelling zest for the great outdoors, Mogambo is classic entertainment for anyone's great indoors.

Customer Reviews:

50s melodramatic cheese.......2007-05-25

Having rented this movie only for Ava Gardner and not for the plot, I knew it was going to be cheesy from the beginning. It's a non-musical produced by MGM, what can one expect? This is one of those old kinds of movies where the character development takes a backseat to the *breathtaking* scenery and atmosphere. Actually the scenery isn't so breathtaking (maybe in 1953 this would have blown your socks off, but come on, those of us in 2007 are much more world weary now). As usual, Ava and Grace flounce around the jungle in well decked out outfits and perfectly applied lipstick. This kind of reminded me a bit of 1954's "Elephant Walk" with Elizabeth Taylor: both movies are over the top melodramatic with special effects that are extremely lame by today's standards. The focus on scenery, costumes, shooting on location, and special effects causes the character development to suffer. Honestly, "Mogambo" gets a bit boring at times with all of its scenery shots. I think "Elephant Walk" had more of an interesting story, and that's not saying much. I'm puzzled as to why Ava and Grace were nominated Oscars for this movie. I love these two actresses, but "Mogambo" is a throw away filler movie Ava made (sadly like much of her career) and for Grace is was just something she needed to allow her new film career to take flight. Oh and Clark Gable in this? He seems tired, bored, and worn out. Not to mention he's way too old! The studio's decision to recast him in the same beefcake role 21 years later (which would never have happened for a woman) just highlights the strong double standards that existed in old Hollywood for men and women.

Gable Rules as Ford Looks On.......2007-03-23

Great to have MOGAMBO on DVD. It looks good. Not your usual John Ford film from my view. Clark Gable is the man and really he seems to have more effect on the look of this film. Good loves story flows tailored for Gable no doubt. Good one in all.

mogambo dvd.......2007-01-12

GREAT MOVIE EXCELLENT CONDITION AND AS ALWAYS SHIPPED QUICKLY AND IN GOOD SHAPE.

Sweet.......2007-01-03

A very sweet movie with a lot of old attitudes. I wish Ava's character was stronger and tougher and Clark Gable is maybe getting a bit to old to be so irresistible. Worth it anyway.

Jungle Heat.......2006-11-10

What a wonderful "great white hunter" movie!! Of course the sultry Ava Gardner plays the perfect bad girl to Gables manly man with Grace Kelly rounding out the innocent. The movie may be old but the them is timeless.

Average customer rating:

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

Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Starring: Frank Sinatra , Esther Williams , Gene Kelly , Betty Garrett , and Edward Arnold
Director: Busby Berkeley
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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Anchors Aweigh
On the Town
For Me And My Gal (Snap case)
Summer Stock
Cover Girl

ASIN: B00004TZS3
Release Date: 2000-09-19

Amazon.com

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

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

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

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

Highly-recommended.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com

From the dour vantage point of divorce court, Florence (Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday) and Chet Keefer (Aldo Ray) recount the tale of their rocky marriage. Despite its jaunty title, The Marrying Kind is a surprisingly realistic portrait of marriage, with all its expectations, disappointments, compromises, fights, and intimacies. Florence and Chet are tested by trouble and loss, but it's finally good fortune that threatens to pull them apart. The judge in their case, however, thinks they should give it another try. Holliday perfected a ditzy/sexy persona that other actresses have emulated but never quite equalled; The Marrying Kind gave her the opportunity to show her dramatic chops. Though she rises to the challenge, the movie is an awkward blend of humor and pathos. Fans of hoarse-voiced palooka Ray will enjoy his equally strong performance in this, his movie debut. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Unpretentious.......2007-06-23

I had known that this movie was listed in "The New York Times Guide to the Best 1000 Movies Ever Made" which I have found to be a good general guide for great movies off the popularity radar screen. Thus I came to it with some expectations but those expectations did not turn into disappointment. This is a very good movie although I rated it "4 stars" because, frankly, I've seen a lot of movies of a higher quality. What "The Marrying Kind" has to offer is a look at ourselves in a way that leaves us with a better understanding of our own marital relationship. It does so in a way that challenges us to compare our weaknesses to those displayed in the movie and it challenges us to also compare our ability to communicate with one another to the couple in the movie.

Judy Holiday is the star of this film which happens to be the "introduction" movie for Aldo Ray. The way these two work together is a great asset to the film. The movie begins in Divorce Court which immediately tells a lot and it's helpful to know that as we watch the couple relate how their relationship evolved into marriage (and, later, into the Divorce Court). The various snippets we see along the way are amusing, embarassing, endearing, and, unfortuately, tragic. We get to know a couple who seem to like each other but never took enough time to get to know each other. It is the typical sit-com marraige with all the stereotypes.

There isn't a lot to add because the beauty of "The Marrying Kind" is in its' simplicity. I enjoyed the movie and am saving it to watch with my wife. I hope to hear a lot more "you don't do that" than "that's just like you!".

Fine Acting.......2006-12-23

It's a shame Judy Holliday died so young and that the McCarthy Hearings hurt her career and, it's a crime that she did not do at least 3 movies a year for all of us to enjoy forever. She gave such natural performances you hardly felt it was acting. In this movie she was every bit as brilliant as she was in Born Yesterday. Aldo Ray in his first starring role gives a fine performance. The only thing I found wrong with the movie is that it mixes comedy and tragedy. The tragedy is not the pending divorce but the death of their son. Comedy can also contain high drama and personal tragedy, but the death of a child is taking the mix too far.

A Lot of Fun.......2006-10-10

Judy Holliday and Aldo Ray make for a great screen team. They both have very unique acting styles that make for great screen chemistry. This is great film from director George Cukor. There was only one Judy Holliday and only one Aldo Ray when he was at the height of his popularity.

The Superb Kind You'll Love.......2006-04-12

Movie: ***** DVD Quality: ****1/2 Extras: ****1/2

Judy Holliday and Aldo Ray are incandescent in this exquisite film, beautifully directed by George Cukor from a Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon script. The story concerns an average married couple who find themselves in divorce court, telling the history of their courtship and marriage to a wise and experienced judge (Madge Kennedy). As might be expected, their life together has been layered by incidents both happy and heartbreaking, the extraordinary moments outnumbered by the mundane. What makes the film so incredibly moving are the masterful, intelligent direction of Cukor, who unfolds each scene with great subtlety; and the sensitive underplaying of Holliday and Ray, who invest their characters with just the right mixture of shading, both sympathetic and non. This was Holliday's first film after she won the Oscar for Cukor's "Born Yesterday", and she is undeniably at the peak of her powers. As for Aldo Ray, he was receiving a major boost toward stardom after appearing in small roles in two previous films; sadly, despite a long career, he would never fulfill the astonishing promise he showed in this freshman effort.

Columbia's DVD transfer of this minor masterpiece is generally commendable. The frame jumps around a bit during the opening credits, but this annoyance stops once the story begins. Video contrast and sharpness are acceptable; and the sound is good throughout. The DVD extras include the trailer for this film, and two other Columbia offerings: "Born Yesterday", and the 1956 Tyrone Power-Kim Novak drama "The Eddy Duchin Story". Overall, "The Marrying Kind" is highly recommended entertainment, a delicate balance of drama, comedy and tragedy that is a working definition of the term "neglected cinematic gem."

Judy Holliday in pleasant, light drama.......2003-12-28

I am a big fan of Judy Holliday's romantic comedies from the 1950's and own Born Yesterday, It Should Happen to You (with Jack Lemmon in his first movie appearance), The Solid Gold Cadillac, and Bells Are Ringing (with Dean Martin). I was expecting The Marrying Kind to also be a comedy, and I was disappointed to find out that it consists far more of pathos than comedy. It shows in flashbacks the decline of the 7-year marriage of a couple on the verge of divorce, and nowadays we might call this film a "dramedy." However, once I'd adjusted to the fact that I wasn't watching Judy in all-out comedy, I enjoyed the movie for what it is. Particularly that it centers almost completely around the relationship (and interactions) of the two main characters, Florence (Judy) and Chet Keefer (Aldo Ray). Because they are on stage alone together most of the movie, it really showcases their individual talents as actors, and they work extremely well together as a dramatic pairing.

Aside from the acting and the story, there are several other things that I found especially fascinating about the film: first, the use of real New York City locations from the early 50s--it is amazing how much the city has changed in 50 years! Second, the movie's portrayal of working-class, urban marriage feels extremely real and accurate for that era (other than their very roomy apartment), and because of that, it offers an intriguing window into that time period. Finally, I was very taken by the style of the dialogue. Not being either an expert on linguistics or the writing history of playwrights Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, I couldn't be sure if they were merely being stylistic, or if they intended to offer a very accurate portrayal of a specific New York dialect. Whichever it is, the protagonists speak in a very unique way, with certain words left out in their sentences and others repeated--which gives an entertaining regional flavor to the script.

Amazon.com

Tait College football captain Tommy Marlowe (Peter Lawford) is used to getting any girl he wants. When new coed Pat McClellan (Patricia Marshall) arrives on campus sporting racy fashions and pseudo-French phrases, he decides he wants her. But Pat only has eyes for men with millions, so Tommy enlists sweet Connie Lane (June Allyson), Pat's sorority sister who is working her way through Tait as an assistant librarian, to help him learn French. Tommy falls for down-to-Earth Connie, who falls for him right back, but his ego gets in the way when Pat does a turnabout and decides she does want him after all.

Based on the Broadway play and 1930s musical, Good News is an enthusiastic, good-hearted romp through late-'20s college life. Broadway actress Joan McCracken as Connie's roommate Babe Doolittle exudes energy as she leads nearly all the musical numbers, particularly shining in "Good News" and "Pass the Peace Pipe." A young Mel Tormé sings a lovely reprise of "The Best Things in Life Are Free," and one of the signature songs, "The Varsity Drag," is led by Allyson and Lawford showcasing their dancing and singing talents (Lawford is a better hoofer than vocalist). Though the movie seems mainly constructed around the musical numbers, the writing is sharp and the cast members seems to be enjoying themselves. Director Charles Walters went on to direct Easter Parade and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green would make their mark with, among others, On the Town and Singin' in the Rain. --Dana Van Nest

Customer Reviews:

Old movies for young children.......2007-03-08

When my granddaughter was practicing her French one day, it reminded me of the movie Good News which I saw when I was a young girl. I thought how refreshing it would be for my grandchildren to see a good old fashioned musical with lots of laughter and fun. I wasn't wrong. The girls enjoyed it (more than the young boys) and everyone watched it to the inevitable end when boy gets girl. No foul language, no killings, no blatant SEX scenes. Just good fun.

The MGM glory-days!.......2007-01-11

Count the number of dancers in those spectacular dance sequences. It is amazing. Every student at Tate College must have danced in them. The "Pass That Peacepipe" and final "Good New" numbers I have on constant re-run, never tire of seeing them.

picture good;quality bad.......2007-01-04

I gave myself a headache trying to watch this d.v.d
It should have been a most enjoyable movie but the quality of the d.v.d was so bad it was unwatchable.
(I must say here that the fault was in the d.v.d not the d.v.d player as I have not had a problem watching d.v.d's before. or since.
I think something should be done to ensure quality of production when running off d.v.d's.

Technicolor Musical in its Prime.......2006-08-29

If you love 40s musicals, you'll love this. Stars June Allyson (recently passed away, R.I.P) in one of the best performances. The part where she and the sorority house mother are misleading Pat (Patricia Marshall) about Tommy's (Peter Lawford) family loosing its money and his father no longer being the "pickle king" is a hoot. Miss Allyson's singing is in more of a Broadway than motion picture musical style. However, it fits her character, Connie, who is an All American Girl type, not a glamour gal. Peter Lawford also puts on a credible show in his singing and dancing. The supporting cast is excellent. Joan McCracken shows off her dancing prowess in the "Pass the Peace Pipe" number. An example of the MGM musical in its prime.

Cast's Sincere Exuberance Saves Cheery College Musical from Pure Cornpone.......2006-07-17

The death of June Allyson this past week is reason enough to revisit one of her most important starring vehicles, this wholesome 1947 MGM college musical from the golly-gee-whiz school of entertainment. Based on a pre-Depression-era stage hit, it's all pretty ridiculous but very sincere with random moments of clever comedy thanks to the formidable team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green with their first screenplay effort. The thin plot involves exuberant co-eds at Tait College and two in particular, conscientious good girl Connie Lane and football hero Tommy Marlowe. The closest thing the film comes to drama is the risk Tommy faces in not being able to play in the big game if he cannot pass his French class, and you can guess who is the only who can tutor him. There is inevitably a snooty gold-digger out to steal Tommy from Connie under the assumption that he is an heir to a pickle fortune. And naturally, there are hijinks galore among the co-eds who have a more vested interest in the big game than their own studies.

The trivial nature of the film is offset primarily by two things. First, there is Allyson, who exudes cornbelt, girl-next-door appeal effortlessly. With her froggy voice and twinkly smile, she shines as Connie despite the fact that she is not inordinately talented as either singer or dancer. As Tommy, Lawford is actually a better dancer than you would expect, but his character is such a flighty dullard that he comes across as rather silly. The second notable factor is a wonderful bouncing ball of a dancer named Joan McCracken, a Broadway performer who plays Connie's comic sidekick Babe Doolittle. Shamefully an obscure footnote now, she is the dynamic center of the energetic if somewhat politically incorrect "Pass the Peace Pipe" production number, a dazzling example of finely coordinated MGM choreography at its best. Another example of that craftsmanship is the final "Varsity Drag" number where dozens of dancers impressively replicate the moves of Allyson and Lawford in synchronized lockstep. This will definitely not suit everyone's taste, even lovers of MGM musicals, but it is a worthy tribute to Allyson's appeal and the kind of musical that would never be made again without some hint of cynicism.

Final Shot - The Hank Gathers Story (True Stories Collection TV Movie)

Average customer rating:

Great Drama for the passionate basketball lover.

Final Shot - The Hank Gathers Story (True Stories Collection TV Movie)
Starring: Victor Love , Duane Davis , George Kennedy , Nell Carter , and Sam Hennings
Director: Charles Braverman
Manufacturer: Mpi Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000MGBSM6
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Description

At age 23, Eric "Hank" Gathers (Victor Love, Shadow of Doubt) escaped the inner city to become one of America's top college basketball stars. As leader of Loyola Marymount's team, his career is on the fast track. He's certain to be a top NBA draft choice.

With love and encouragement from his mother, Lucille (Nell Carter, Give Me a Break!) and his best friend, Bo Kimble (Duane Davis, Under Siege), Hank pushes himself higher and higher - then tragedy strikes.

Customer Reviews:

Great Drama for the passionate basketball lover........1999-08-30

Eric "Hank" Gathers was a very dedicated basketball player from day one. He thrilled the nation in the late 80's when he took little Loyola Maramount University to the top, while leading all Division-1 athletes in scoring and rebounding his Junior Year. It was in his Senior year that the energetic Gathers suffered a minor heart attack, forcing him to sit out an unwanted period of time. Against doctors orders, he came back too early only to suffer a fatal heart attack near the end of that same season. The movie takes you through Hank's breif life from the age of eleven all the way up to his sudden death. This drama shows you how he and his best friend Bo Kimble always dreamed to make it to the NBA. Bo had it easy, always being the star; while Hank was the underdog, and had to go through many obstacles to get to the top. The year after Hank's tragic death Bo was drafted where he and Hank had always talked about being drafted...in the lottery. This is a true story.

Average customer rating:

Awesome
Just Deserts
Slow But Interesting Morality Tale

The Game Is Over
Starring: Jane Fonda , Michel Piccoli , Peter McEnery , Tina Aumont , and Jacques Monod
Director: Roger Vadim
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009XN3I
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Description

Jane Fonda plays the bored wife of an ambitious and cynical industrialist who ends up falling in love with her stepson in Roger Vadim's tragic and passionate story. DVD features: filmographies, weblinks, subtitle control.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome.......2006-03-11

If you look at this movie, you will see the amazing and very clear projection of what happens when in a relationship one partner views the other as a "thing", a "posession", an "object" rather than providing care and love. We can learn from this movie decades later in that in relationships we all need a real connection, an internal love that in which the two characters found (Renee and Maxime). They connected, since they were both viewed as "objects" by the one who controlled them and viewed them this way. Both attempted to escape the control they were under and in doing so wound up being blackmailed by the controller. What a great movie to show how power and control and the fear of losing it, will stop at nothing to destroy anothers kindred spirit. Although the ending was not a typical "happily ever after" ending, it dipicts real life, and real people who manipulate others to keep themselves on top.

Just Deserts.......2005-11-26

This is a French film. It was produced and directed by French, stars mostly French and is, of course, in French. The English subtitles are optional. Being French, it naturally has a cavalier and "French" attitude towards many things. Fidelity, commitment, honesty, marriage and such are purely optional. Lechery and revenge are not. That is the crux of the story.

Jane Fonda plays the young wife of a middle aged French industrialist. She is bored with her marriage and, truth to tell, her husband has little going for him beyond wealth. He also has a virile young son who has the hots for Jane. Naturally, they have to wind up in the sack together and even come to love each other. Eventually Poppa finds out and plots vengeance against both of them. The results are not pretty.

It should be apparent that I did not particularly like the film. I did not but it was well done in terms of cinematography, acting and other production values. It also brought back some memories as to the styles and fashions of the late 60s and 70s. Jane is also quite decorative. Even so, I did not enjoy it. Others, who like this kind of thing, may well think its great.

Slow But Interesting Morality Tale.......2005-07-23

I couldn't get into this movie at first. It is the kind of film you must watch with no distractions to catch the subleties and nuances that are its strength. Otherwise, it feels very slow moving, verging on dull. But if you stick with it, you acclimate to the pace and this tale of adultery, betrayal and revenge manages a nice balance of stylization and realism. It manages to ask a very basic question about the universal dillemma: monogamy in marriage and it's pitfalls. Or strengths, depending on how you interpret its message.

Like all good European films, "Game" leaves the message in the viewer's imgination and doesn't polarize its characters into good guys, bad guys, good deeds and evil ones. Ultimately everyone in this film --as in life-- has a private agenda that can be viewed two ways.

Average customer rating:

Savage Girl
Starring: Rochelle Hudson , Walter Byron , Adolph Milar , Harry Myers , and Ted Adams
Director: Harry L. Fraser
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009OL8VW
Release Date: 2005-07-27

One Love: The Game. The Life. (UMD Mini For PSP)

Average customer rating:

One Love: The Game. The Life. (UMD Mini For PSP)
Starring: Shaquille O'Neal , Kobe Bryant , Kevin Garnett , Vince Carter , and Rasheed Wallace
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: UMD for PSP

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Sony PSP Comfort Grips Black
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ASIN: B0009KQOC4
Release Date: 2005-06-28

Description

One Love features the top NBA All-Stars of the day and gives the viewer a clear view of how they got to the top of the basketball world. Highlights include never-before-released high school footage of over 30 current NBA players, literally at the beginning of their career paths. Check out Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Rasheed Wallace, and many more.

Average customer rating:

For Love of the Game [HD DVD]
Starring: Kevin Costner , Kelly Preston , John C. Reilly , Bill E. Rogers , and Hugh Ross
Director: Sam Raimi
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

DVD:

DVD

Soul Talkin' (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Snake Fist Fighter

Four Rooms