Billy Rose's Jumbo Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Richard Gallagher]

Anyone who is on the fence about this film will have a chance to see it on TCM this coming Tuesday afternoon at 1:45 p.m. EDT.

 

[ahollis]

Anyone who is on the fence about this film will have a chance to see it on TCM this coming Tuesday afternoon at 1:45 p.m. EDT.

This is actually one if the little gems from MGM. The four stars are engaging, although I do have problems with Steven Boyd. Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye should have been a comedy team for the really do play of each other. A very enchanting musical at the end if that era.

 

[bigshot]

Just got mine in the mail. Going to watch it tonight. Is the musical short and the Tom & Jerry cartoon 1080p? Doesn't say clearly on the cover.

 

[Garysb]

Is the musical short and the Tom & Jerry cartoon 1080p? Doesn't say clearly on the cover.

Per the previously posted press release:

Special Features: Musical Short “Yours Sincerely” the Tom and Jerry Cartoon, “Jerry and Jumbo” (presented in 1080p HD); Original Overture; Theatrical Trailer

 

[classicmovieguy]

The staging of the numbers in this film is its quiet strength. My favourite is "Why Can't I?", with Doris Day and Martha Raye, perched on the rear of their caravan as it meanders through the moonlit night. Bliss.

 

[JoHud]

Per the previously posted press release:

Special Features: Musical Short “Yours Sincerely” the Tom and Jerry Cartoon, “Jerry and Jumbo” (presented in 1080p HD); Original Overture; Theatrical Trailer

Potential proof of a planned T&J Golden Collection Vol 3?

 

[bigshot]

Great image quality and spectacular sound. This is a really great disk all around. The movie was a lot of fun too.

 

[bujaki]

Charming film with classic Rodgers and Hart tunes. Lovers of musicals should not hesitate to acquire this disk.

 

[bigshot]

This is one of the few circus films that actually has a lot of circus in it. Amazing acts and great Busby Berkeley staging.

 

[John Skoda]

I watched this over the weekend. Disc looks great. Did anyone else notice John Astin in a bit part? I think he's the pilot who tries to give Stephen Boyd a ride late in the film, but can't get his plane to start.

 

[kevin_y]

Got this today. The 1080p picture is sweeet. Colors are rich, great for such a colorful film. The lossless 5.1 audio sounds great but doesn't seem to have a lot of rear action. English subtitles for the hard of hearing are provided. Can anyone explain why only spoken dialogs are subtitled but not the song lyrics? I've seen this in several other DVDs/BDs of Warner musicals already, such as "An American in Paris". It's sad that the often cheesy dialogs in these films are subtitled but the divine Gershwin & Hart lyrics are not.

The Tom & Jerry cartoon is shown in 1080p and it's a nice-looking print. The musical short "Yours Sincerely" is also in 1080p but the print isn't nearly as nice.

 

[ahollis]

Got this today. The 1080p picture is sweeet. Colors are rich, great for such a colorful film. The lossless 5.1 audio sounds great but doesn't seem to have a lot of rear action. English subtitles for the hard of hearing are provided. Can anyone explain why only spoken dialogs are subtitled but not the song lyrics? I've seen this in several other DVDs/BDs of Warner musicals already, such as "An American in Paris". It's sad that the often cheesy dialogs in these films are subtitled but the divine Gershwin & Hart lyrics are not.

The Tom & Jerry cartoon is shown in 1080p and it's a nice-looking print. The musical short "Yours Sincerely" is also in 1080p but the print isn't nearly as nice.

Got this today also (damn Columbus Day) and about to watch. Thanks for your insights

 

[kevin_y]

Blu-ray screenshots. The HD picture does not look perfect but it looks pretty nice.

 

[JoHud]

Can anyone explain why only spoken dialogs are subtitled but not the song lyrics?

Standard practice. While sometimes the studios will release them with subtitled lyrics, they are most often absent for whatever reason. No surprise here.

 

[Brandon Conway]

The logic is that the lyrics for songs are in their original language no matter where in the world you live in. Think about Gundam Style and how English speakers just phonetically sing along.Usually the only exception to having subtitles for songs is when it specifically tells the plot that cannot be discerned by any other means like it does in some musicals, but even that is not a steadfast rule.Sent from my VS920 4G using Tapatalk

 

[kevin_y]

Sometimes the English closed captioning shows the lyrics even if the subtitles don't. On "A Night at the Opera" DVD (also from Warner), the English CC shows all the lyrics, even the Italian ones ("Cosi Cosa ..."). But the English subtitles only show nothing. The "Billy Rose's Jumbo" Blu-ray, unfortunately, has no CC.

 

[bestactor]

I am so delighted that Jumbo is on blu-ray, and it looks wonderful! This was such a last hurrah for the MGM designers and music department. The arrangements of the Rodgers and Hart score are gorgeous and continue to thrill after 50 years. The score is used so effectively with the cinematography and staging. Doris Day's performances of My Romance, Little Girl Blue, Why Can't I are so beautifully intimate. Considering that this musical does not ride on choreography by Kelly, Donen, Pan, Fosse, etc. it is still very successful, if not truly great. The color production is among the finest ever created in Hollywood. The blu-ray is very accurate to the film presentation. I was lucky enough to see a new scope 35mm showing at AFI 20 years ago and I have never forgotten the gloriously colorful, costumes and sets.

 

[lionel59]

JUMBO is entertaining ,with a great Rodgers & Hart score but it was a box office disappointment which-according to one source- took Doris Day out of consideration for the role of Maria in THE SOUND OF MUSIC. The final number seems to divide the fans- you either love it or hate it. The movie was apparently very different to the original stage show, probably unavoidable when you consider the 30 year (approx) delay in the Hippodrome show reaching the screen. The extra Rodgers+ Hart numbers brought in from other shows to augment the score- This Can't Be Love, Why Can't I?- are a decided plus.The show was announced in 1959 as a vehicle for Debbie Reynolds. A sad note connected to the production is that directly after arranging 'Little Girl Blue' (beautifully orchestrated and performed by Miss Day), legendary MGM staffer Conrad Salinger took his own life. Stephen Boyd's singing was dubbed by James Joyce and John Astin and Danny Borzage (director Frank's younger brother) play small roles in the film.
I hope this leads to Blu Rays of LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME (Day's finest hour in my opinion) and 7 BRIDES FOR 7 BROTHERS, which is taking a surprising time to make it to HD.

 

[Mark-P]

I guess it was a mistake for me to pre-order it on Amazon. It's been indefinitely on back-order with no shipping estimate in sight!

 

[ahollis]

I guess it was a mistake for me to pre-order it on Amazon. It's been indefinitely on back-order with no shipping estimate in sight!

They usually run three to four weeks behind the WAC release date.