TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Comedy
Studio: Warner Bros. Home Video
US DVD Release Date: November 3, 2009
Rated: Not Rated
Running Time: 399 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 full screen
Audio: Dolby Digital Surround 1.0 ( English)
Subtitles: Various, dependent on feature
The four feature films included in this set are presented on two double-sided DVDs, with one film per side.
Disc One, Side A
Arsenic And Old Lace (1944)
Movie: 4.5 out of 5
I remember first reading the play, which this film is based upon, back in seventh grade English, and getting to see the film for the first time just a few weeks later in that same class, and realizing then that old movies can be a lot of fun to watch. Cary Grant is over the top hilarious as Mortimer Brewster, a drama critic and author of books dismissing marriage who has just married Elaine (Priscilla Lane), the girl living next door to his dear, sweet old aunts Abby and Martha (Josephine Hull and Jean Adair, reprising their Broadway roles). Mortimer soon discovers the two spinsters have developed a habit of putting lonely old men out of their misery by poisoning them with Elderberry wine laced with arsenic, then having their crazed nephew Teddy (John Alexander), who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt, bury the bodies in the basement as part of digging locks for the Panama Canal. To further complicate matters, Mortimer's long lost brother Jonathan (Raymond Massey), a serial killer, arrives with his doctor friend and accomplice Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre), who also have a body to dispose of.
It is sometimes obvious this film has roots on the stage, particularly since the majority of the story takes place in one location, but director Frank Capra frequently mines comedic gold from his actors. Cary Grant's frantic reactions to what is going on are priceless, John Alexander makes you believe that he believes he is Teddy Roosevelt, and Josephine Hull and Jean Adair play the aunts with just enough sweetness that you know something is not quite right with them. Arsenic And Old Lace is one of my favorite dark comedies of all time.
Video: 4 out of 5
This is the exact same disc authored for the stand-alone DVD release from 2000, which also was a single layered disc. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as that was a beautiful black and white transfer with deep blacks and tremendous detail for a film originally shot more than 60 years ago. There are some occasional blemishes, but these are likely inherent to the negative.
Audio: 3 out of 5
The Dolby Digital 1.0 mono track does its job, with intelligible dialogue and remarkable fidelity for a film of this age.
Special Features: 1 out of 5
Again identical to the 2000 DVD release, all we get is a cast list and some liner notes on the production.
Disc One, Side B
A Night At The Opera (1935)
Movie: 3 out of 5
In their first MGM outing, the Marx Brothers take on the institution of Opera, with some help from Allan Jones, Kitty Carlisle, Sig Ruman, and Margaret Dumont. Groucho Marx is Otis B. Driftwood, shady promoter/manager who convinces widowed Mrs. Claypool (Dumont) to support the New York Opera by investing $200,00 as a way of entering high society. This allows opera director Herman Gottlieb (Ruman) to hire Rodolfo Lassparri as his main attraction and Rosa Castaldi (Carlisle) as the leading lady. Rosa detests Lassparri, and is in love with chorus singer Ricado Baroni (Jones). Gottlieb, Driftwood, Lassparri, and Rosa depart from Milan on an ocean liner headed for New York, leaving Baroni behind. Or so they thought. When Driftwood's steamer trunk is delivered to his stateroom, he discovers that Baroni has stowed away, along with Lassparri's former dresser Tomasso (Harpo Marx) and Baroni's manager Fiorello (Chico Marx), in one of the movie's funniest (and classic) comedy routines. The four are determined to oust Lassparri from the opera company so that Baroni can be reunited with his true love.
The Marx Brothers are in top form here, but the love story subplot is often a distraction and feels like padding at times. The stateroom scene (as mentioned above), along with Groucho and Chico's contract routine, are well worth the price of admission.
Video: 3 out of 5
This is the exact same disc authored for both the stand alone DVD release and Marx Brothers Collection box set from 2004, which was also a dual-layered disc. The full screen black and white image has some decent contrast and acceptable detail, with occasional blemishes and jump cuts, but that is more the fault of the negative, which has suffered from mishandling when all references to Italy were removed (and reportedly lost forever) during World War II. Compression artifacts are minimal. This is likely about as good as the movie will ever look on DVD.
Audio: 3 out of 5
The Dolby Digital 1.0 mono track does its job, with intelligible dialogue and remarkable fidelity for a film of this age.
Special Features: 3.5 out of 5
Audio Commentary by Leonard Maltin: The often likable film critic and historian has a lot to say about A Night At The Opera, discussing the missing opening sequence that was cut along with snippets of dialogue referring to Italy prior to a re-release of the film during World War II, a history of the Marx Brothers, and other fascinating trivia.
Remarks On Marx: A 34-minute documentary on the history of the Marx Brothers and the making of A Night At The Opera, featuring interviews with Dom DeLuise, Carl Reiner, Larry Gelbart, Kitty Carlisle, Robert B. Weide, Anne Beats, and Robert Osborne.
Groucho Marx on The Hy Gardner Show: In this 5-minute excerpt from the popular 1960s talk show, Groucho discusses the legendary meetings the brothers had in Irving Thalberg's office, eventually leading to them sitting in front of the fireplace, naked, roasting potatoes while waiting for the producer to return.
How To Sleep: A classic, Oscar-winning short from 1935, which takes a tongue-in-cheek look at techniques used to fall asleep, what causes insomnia, and how to get a drink of water in the middle of the night.
Sunday Night At The Trocadero: Reginald Denny gives us a glimpse of high society and what a typical evening is like at the Trocadero in this short subject from 1937.
Theatrical Trailer: is also included to round out the special features.
Disc Two, Side A
The Long, Long Trailer (1954)
Movie: 3 out of 5
Newlyweds Nicky and Tacy (Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball) purchase a trailer as their dream home, traveling by car to Nicky’s new job as their honeymoon. But the trip is not quite as glamorous as they had imagined, finding the trailer park noisy and claustrophobic, the in-laws less than forgiving when Nicky backs the trailer over their flowerbed and into the garage, and driving on the open highway to be terrifying. Under the capable direction of Vincente Minnelli, The Long, Long Trailer tries to marry a road picture with an extended episode of I Love Lucy and comes up just short of its goal. It is an amusing story, but it never reaches the level of comedy that the classic sitcom frequently excelled at.
Video: 3 out of 5
This is the exact same disc authored for the 2006 DVD release. The overall image, properly framed in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, is a bit soft, but colors, especially flesh tones, are accurate and well-saturated without bleeding. The print used is free of blemishes and scratches. Compression artifacts and noise are minimal.
Audio: 3 out of 5
The Dolby Digital 1.0 mono track does its job, with intelligible dialogue and remarkable fidelity for a film of this age.
Special Features: 3 out of 5
Vintage Short Ain’t It Aggravatin’?: Presented in a nice 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, this 9-minute black and white comedy from 1954 dealing with items that drive people crazy, such as having someone steal your parking space, finicky landlords, etc.
Dixieland Droopy: Droopy stars in this Tex Avery short from 1954.
Theatrical Trailer: is also included to round out the special features.
Disc Two, Side B
Father Of The Bride (1950)
Movie: 3 out of 5
Based on a best selling book by Edward Streeter, Father of the Bride stars Spencer Tracy in the title role as Stanley Banks, who narrates this story of a father’s pains of financing a wedding and ultimately having to give his daughter away. Elizabeth Taylor is the bride-to-be, who only wanted a small wedding, not the lavish affair it evolves into. By today’s standards, the original may not be as funny as the 1991 Steve Martin remake, but it is still an amusing film to watch, and was nominated for 3 Oscars (Best Actor Spencer Tracy, Best Screenplay, and Best Picture).
Video: 3 out of 5
This is the exact same disc authored for the 2003 (and 2006) DVD release. The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, with deep blacks and silvery grays. Detail is very good, although the picture does get noisy in a few spots, but never to the point of distraction.
Audio: 3 out of 5
The Dolby Digital 1.0 mono track does its job, with intelligible dialogue and remarkable fidelity for a film of this age.
Special Features: 2 out of 5
This disc is particularly light on features, and those features are a bit of a disappointment. There are two newsreel clips, Wedding Bells For Movie Star Elizabeth Taylor and President Truman Meets Father of the Bride. The video quality of these clips is quite good, but the audio is missing, making it appear more like home movie footage. Behind The Scenes is nothing more than liner notes on the production, with some interesting trivia, such as Jack Benny originally being considered for the Spencer Tracy role. More liner notes appear under Cast & Crew, and the original Theatrical Trailer is provided, in fairly good condition, to round out the extras.
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
All four films in this set have been released previously, and are presented here with the same transfers and features as their stand-alone counterparts (many of which are now out of print). If you do not already own any of these films, the set is a bargain when you consider you are getting four films for the current street price of under $20.
