My November Movie Marathon: Classic Comedy Greats (1 Viewer)

[Pete Battista]

There... now I am caught up on reviews of what I watched the last few days.

 

[Pete Battista]

Alice in Wonderland (1933/United States)

Universal Studios Home Entertainment (United States)
Director: Norman McLeod
Writing: Lewis Carroll (Original Material By), Joseph L. Mankiewicz (Screenwriter), William Cameron Menzies (Screenwriter)
Length: 77 min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: NONE
Stars:
Richard Arlen as Cheshire Cat
Roscoe Ates as Fish
William Austin as Gryphon
Gary Cooper as White Knight
Leon Errol as Uncle Gilbert

Plot:
Alice's fantastic adventures lead her straight to some of the most memorable characters ever imagined, including the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, Humpty Dumpty, the Cheshire Cat, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in the original Alice in Wonderland. Based on Lewis Carroll's beloved story, this live-action fantasy features Hollywood icons Cary Grant, Gary Cooper and W.C. Fields along with Charlotte Henry as Alice. Filled with spectacular sets and imaginative costumes, the classic Alice in Wonderland is a timeless adventure for the whole family!

Extras:

• NONE

My Thoughts:

First thing I will say about this one is I do not see myself watching it again. That being said it is a good curiosity piece. And some interesting casting. In this one we have W.C. Fields as Humpty Dumpty... Gary Cooper as The White Night..... and Cary Grant as Mock Turtle. For the time (1933) this film did have some decent special effects. Though a lot of the costuming should have been better. It is a very sporadic.... out there kind of film. But while I never read it... I hear the book is as well. The scary thing is that my roommate told me this is the film that is the most faithful to the book that she has seen. All that being said, I would go as far as recommending this one for a curiosity piece.

Rating:

 

[Pete Battista]

Sorrowful Jones (1949/United States)
IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer |

Universal Studios (United States)
Director: Sidney Lanfield
Writing: Melville Shavelson (Screenwriter), Edmund Hartmann (Screenwriter), Jack Rose (Screenwriter), Damon Runyon (Original Material By), William R. Lipman (Original Material By), Sam Hellman (Original Material By), Gladys Lehman (Original Material By)
Length: 98 min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles:
Stars:
Bob Hope as Sorrowful Jones
Lucille Ball as Gladys O'Neil
William Demarest as Regret
Bruce Cabot as Big Steve Holloway
Thomas Gomez as Reardon

Plot:
Sorrowful Jones (Bob Hope) takes a bet from a rotten gambler who leaves his young daughter as collateral, forcing him to learn some hard lessons about parenthood with the help of a nightclub singer (Lucille Ball).

Extras:

• Featurettes

My Thoughts:

This one I enjoyed quite a bit. Not surprising with such stars as Bob Hope and Lucille Ball. But it was the little girl that I felt stole the show. A cute little girl and I loved her attitude. This is actually the first film I have seen Lucille Ball in. I just know her from "I Love Lucy"... and while I figured it was the case I was happy to verify with this film that Lucille Ball really could sing. This film may not have a lot of laugh out loud moments... but if you are looking for a fun film to relax and watch I would definitely recommend "Sorrowful Jones."

Rating:

 

[Pete Battista]

Between Amazon order and from my roommates store I now have coming...

The Marx Brothers:
At the Circus
A Day at the Races
A Night in Casablanca
Room Service

George Burns & Gracie Allen:
Here Comes Cookie
International House (with W.C.Fields)
Love in Bloom
Six of a Kind (with W.C.Fields)
We're Not Dressed

 

[Mike Frezon]

You better get going!

You keep adding titles and November is more than a third over!

 

[Pete Battista]

LOL... I know I won't get all of them watched. But I am curious to see how many I can get done.

 

[Pete Battista]

Road to Morocco: Bob Hope: The Tribute Collection (1942/United States)
IMDb |Wikipedia |

Universal Studios Home Video (United States)
Director: David Butler
Writing: Frank Butler (Screenwriter), Don Hartman (Screenwriter)
Length: 82 min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Stars:
Bing Crosby as Jeff Peters
Bob Hope as Orville "Turkey" Jackson
Dorothy Lamour as Princess Shalmar
Anthony Quinn as Mullay Kasim
Dona Drake as Mihirmah

Plot:
Like Webster's dictionary, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour are "Morocco-bound" in the third rollicking entry in their popular series of Road comedies.

Survivors of a Mediterranean shipwreck, stowaways Jeff (Crosby) and Orville (Hope) paddle to a North African shore and hitch a camel ride across the desert to Morocco. In order to buy food, Jeff sells Orville into slavery—but Orville's owner turns out to be the luscious Princess Shalmar (Lamour), who quickly offers to become his wife. Unfortunately, the true reason for the Princess' proposal soon becomes clear. Her prophet has warned that her first husband will meet a violent death within days of their marriage!

An Oscar® nominee for Best Original Screenplay, Road to Morocco is highlighted by Bing's rendition of one of his best- loved songs, the unforgettable Moonlight Becomes You.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• Production Notes
• DVD-ROM Content
• Sing-Along

My Thoughts:

Another fun road movie. Liked this one quite a bit. Not sure if I can say it is my favorite or not yet. They do make a great team. Though in this one Bob hope really went overboard on breaking the fourth wall. He did it several times here. Well worth the time put in to watch it.

Rating:

 

[Pete Battista]

Buck Privates: Collector's Series (1941/United States)
IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer |

Universal Home Entertainment, Image Entertainment (United States)
Director: Arthur Lubin
Writing: Arthur T. Horman (Screenwriter), John Grant (Writer)
Length: 84 min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Stars:
Lee Bowman as Randolph Parker, III
Alan Curtis as Bob Martin
Bud Abbott as Slicker Smith
Lou Costello as Herbie Brown
The Andrews Sisters

Plot:
Comedy legends Bud Abbott and Lou Costello cemented their place in film history with the hilarious comedy classic Buck Privates. After spending years on stage in burlesque and on radio perfecting classic routines such as "Who's on First?", the duo transitioned to motion pictures at Universal in 1940. In their first leading roles, Bud and Lou play con artists who accidently enlist in the U.S. Army to avoid going to jail. Making matters worse, their no–nonsense drill sergeant turns out to be the cop who tried to arrest them! Featuring classic routines such as "Drill", "Dice Game" and "You're Forty, She's Ten", the film also starred the popular singing group The Andrews Sisters performing the Academy Award®–nominated° song "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy". Following the success of Buck Privates, Bud and Lou made an astounding 26 more movies at Universal leaving a legacy of laughter that will be treasured forever.

°1941 Best Music-Original Song

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers
• Featurettes

My Thoughts:

This is a fun Abbott and Costello flick. Seeing the misfits in the armed forces is always fun. While this one is definitely worth the time put in to watch it... if there is anything for me to complain about... it would have to be a little too much Andrew Sisters. I think I would have liked to have seen a non-musical version of this film. But to be honest... even that didn't really take away from my enjoyment. Nothing against the Andrew Sisters mind you. Just think they popped up a little more then I was expecting.

Rating:

 

[Pete Battista]

This evening I found myself in Barnes and Noble. I found they are having a half off Criterion sale. So I couldn't help myself I picked up a couple... including one I could watch for this marathon. I hope it is a good one...

City Lights

And for anyone that is curious.... the other film I picked up is...

Carnival of Souls

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I had never seen City Lights before this year, when I finally watched my (second) blind buy of it -- while it wasn't my favorite Chaplin movie (that's probably The Great Dictator), I did instantly love it. I wrote it about it on my thread if you're interested in more of my thoughts on it but more importantly I hope you like it as much as I did!

 

[LouA]

At some point , you may want to look into the Bowery Boys . Some inspired silliness in their Monogram films and great rapport between Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall. You may want to start with BB Meet The Monsters. Warner Archives has 4 box sets with 48 of their films (they were VERY POPULAR back in the fifties).
If you seeing many of the films you listed for the first time I envy you. Enjoy !

 

[Pete Battista]

Thanks... yeah most of these are first time viewings.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Pete, this might have been mentioned already, and apologies if I've just missed it... you've got the Paramount Marx Brothers films on your list, but I don't see any of their later ones. Although they're stylistically somewhat different, I think A Day At The Races and especially A Night At The Opera are worthy inclusions for any sampling of Marx mania. For me, Duck Soup and A Night At The Opera are my two favorites from the boys, even though they're very different.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Can I just say I feel very lucky. This coming Saturday is my daughter's 22nd birthday. And how does she want to spend it? She wants to spend the day with me...watching a handful of Abbott and Costello films for this marathon!

I hope parenthood is in my future, and if it is... well, to have my adult child want to watch classic movies with me, without needed to be Clockwork Orange'd into it -- that's pretty awesome. That's my new life goal!

 

[Pete Battista]

Pete, this might have been mentioned already, and apologies if I've just missed it... you've got the Paramount Marx Brothers films on your list, but I don't see any of their later ones. Although they're stylistically somewhat different, I think A Day At The Races and especially A Night At The Opera are worthy inclusions for any sampling of Marx mania. For me, Duck Soup and A Night At The Opera are my two favorites from the boys, even though they're very different.

I got a set on the way from Amazon with...

At the Circus
A Day at the Races
A Night in Casablanca
Room Service

So many movies... so little time.

 

[Pete Battista]

Animal Crackers (1930/United States)

Universal Studios Home Entertainment (United States)
Director: Victor Heerman
Writing: George S. Kaufman (Original Material By), Morrie Ryskind (Original Material By), Bert Kalmar (Original Material By), Harry Ruby (Original Material By), Morrie Ryskind (Screenwriter)
Length: 97 min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Stars:
Groucho Marx as Captain Jeffrey Spaulding
Harpo Marx as The Professor
Chico Marx as Signor Emanuel Ravelli
Zeppo Marx as Horatio Jamison
Lillian Roth as Arabella Rittenhouse

Plot:
Groucho stars as Captain Spaulding, the famous African explorer whose return is being celebrated with a gala party thrown at the house of the wealthy Mrs. Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont). A valuable painting is stolen and Signore Ravelli (Chico) and the Professor (Harpo), along with Spaulding's stenographer, Jamison (Zeppo), all pitch in and try to help Spaulding recover the rare work of art.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers
• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

This is the second Marx Brothers film I watched... and the second I enjoyed. This is the kind of comedy I like. So far for me they are right up there with Abbott and Costello. While I do enjoy the lead of the pack, Groucho Marx... I am finding I really like the antics of the silent Harpo.

Rating:

 

[Pete Battista]

Our Gang: Dog Daze
The gang must raise 37 cents to pay off Butch. After earning a dollar for taking care of an injured dog, the kids hit upon a sure-fire moneymaking scheme; they will "rescue" every dog in town, thereby collecting a dollar from each grateful owner.

My Thoughts:
This is a fun short. Though for the most part pretty average. Definitely worth the time put in to watch it... but even I have seen better Our Gang shorts.

My Rating:

 

[Pete Battista]

At the Circus (1939/United States)
IMDb |Trailer |

Warner Home Video (United States)
Director: Edward Buzzell
Writing: Irving Brecher (Screenwriter)
Length: 87 min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Stars:
Groucho Marx as Attorney Loophole
Chico Marx as Antonio
Harpo Marx as "Punchy"
Kenny Baker as Jeff Wilson
Florence Rice as Julie Randall

Plot:
Big-to bedlam results in this three-ring comedy caper in which Groucho sings the praises of Lydia the tattooed lady and Eve Ardenslinks around the walls and ceiling as a shady acrobat.

Extras:

• 
  Scene Selection
  Theatrical Trailer
  Shorts

My Thoughts:

This one is an entertaining film for sure... but not quite as good as the other Marx Brothers films I have seen so far. I did like the setting. And I did have fun watching it... there just wasn't as many laugh out load moments for me as there was in the others I have watched so far.

Rating:

 

[Pete Battista]

I keep track of my watching on a site called Letterboxd.

I was surprised to see that I already watched 40 shows for this marathon!

If anyone is curious about it... here is a link to my Letterboxd profile...

https://letterboxd.com/addicted2dvd/

 

[Pete Battista]

We're Not Dressing (1934/United States)
IMDb |Trailer |

Universal Studios Home Entertainment (United States)
Director: Norman Taurog
Writing: Walton Hall Smith (Story By), Benjamin Glazer (Story By), Horace Jackson (Screenwriter), Francis Martin (Screenwriter), George Marion, Jr. (Screenwriter)
Length: 74 min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Stars:
Bing Crosby as Stephen Jones
Carole Lombard as Doris Worthington
George Burns as George
Gracie Allen as Gracie
Ethel Merman as Edith

Plot:
Beautiful high society type Doris Worthington is entertaining guests on her yacht in the Pacific when it hits a reef and sinks. She makes her way to an island with the help of singing sailor Stephen Jones. Her friend Edith, Uncle Hubert, and Princes Michael and Alexander make it to the same island but all prove to be useless in the art of survival. The sailor is the only one with the practical knowhow to survive but Doris and the others snub his leadership offer. That is until he starts a clam bake and wafts the fumes in their starving faces. The group gradually gives into his leadership, the only question now is if Doris will give into his charms.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers

My Thoughts:

This one I enjoyed a lot. It's a musical romantic comedy. The story line is a lot of fun. Gracie Allen plays a ditz so well. Unfortunately George Burns and Gracie Allen had a rather small part in this one. The main stars being Bing Crosby and Carole Lombard. If you never seen this one I would definitely recommend it.

Rating: