A Few Thoughts About...."What's Up, Doc?" on Blu-ray (plus rare bloopers)

Although this film was printed in Technicolor when it came out, it was shot on Eastman color negative, like most films from the mid-1950s on.  Unless the transfer was made from an IB Technicolor print (which is very doubtful), it might not look much different from any other Eastman color production of the era.  Who knows what the state of the negative actually is.  It may be faded by now, almost 40 years later.  I remember seeing this film when I was in the Army and enjoying it.  I have a rental Blu-ray here now and am looking forward to watching it.

I agree with your opinions on this film Ron. It is probably my favorite comedy, it kind of depends on my mood. The thing I love about it is it still makes me laugh everytime I see it. I've watched it maybe 30 times in my lifetime but I still crack up at the garbage can scene, the firemen in the hall, the judge scene... I can go on and on. The humor in it is simply timeless.

 

The DVD looked pretty good to me so I am not sure how soon I will upgrade.

 

Anyone who likes funny movies owes it to themselves to watch this classic at least once, my guess is you will love it.

 

To me the garbage can scene is one of the funniest.  I giggle like a kid whenever I see it.  But the whole film is full of humor that if you don't laugh out loud, you certainly are smiling.  I first saw this at Radio City Music Hall during it's original release and the half full house was roaring with laughter from the time the airline porter said "yes Eunice" to "Love means never having to say your sorry" - "That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard".  Those lines date the film, but was a riot back then.

 

Glad to know there other people that rank this high on the comedy film scale as I do.  I also agree that this is a good looking as it will ever get and it is not bad at all.

 

 

I'm in total agreement with Ron here.  One of my all-time favorites too and I am very happy with my upgrade from DVD to Blu.

 

Rob

 Ron, you seem to be a little confused as to what constitutes a screwball comedy. BRINGING UP BABY, THE AWFUL TRUTH and MY MAN GODFREY are screwball comedies and those are the films that Bogdanovich is paying homage to. Screwball comedies almost always featured an unconventional romantic situation, witty dialogue and a bit of visual humor here and there. BRINGING UP BABY is the undeniable template for WHAT'S UP, DOC ? but there are story elements rejigged from other films. Liam Dunn's scene as the eccentric judge harkens back to a similar (  albeit shorter) scene with Edgar Buchanan in a 30's or 40's comedy whose title I can't remember. ( A visit to court seemed to be a consistent ingredient in many of the great screwball comedies. )

 There may be traces of L & H or the Marxes in DOC, but they didn't make screwball comedies.

 

The film you may be referring to is "My Favorite Wife" where Cary Grant's first wife,  Irene Dunne, comes back from a shipwreck after 7 years, right after he has remarried. The judge in that film was not Edgar Buchanan, but another actor  Granville Bates. Anyway there are many screwball comedies where the characters end up in front of a judge. "Midnight" was another where the couple, who are not married. but thought to be, have to get a divorce. The judge in this case was Monty Wolley. Much as I enjoy "What's Up, Doc" I don't think it is as good as the movies it is paying tribute to. "What's Up, Doc" is however heads above any of the so called Rom Coms being made today.

Edited by Garysb - 8/17/10 at 7:58am

 

Edgar Buchanan played the judge in the re-make of MY FAVORITE WIFE, MOVE OVER DARLING (1963).  It started out as SOMETHINGS GOT TO GIVE, with Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martian (John McGiver played the judge), but Doris Day and James Gardner did the film after Marilyn was fired and then passed away.  The supporting cast was of higher caliber (IMO) for the Monroe version, but I am sure that Fox was cutting some corners to try and recoup some of the cost on the aborted Monroe film.
 

The Buchanan-Day-Garner-Ritter courtroom scene in Move Over, Darling is VERY funny ("I hope you remember this on Mother's Day!") , but the courtroom scene in What's Up, Doc? beats it out, IMO ("Ah, you made me smash my Lifesavers!")

 

Can't wait to upgrade this title. 

"That's... unbelievable!"

"Judy!"

 

"Hello Daddy"

 

Crash goes the judge's bench.

Harry (Sorrell Booke): "Couldn't I just kill her?

"Thank you, Hans."

"Fritz."

"What happened to Hans?"

"Zere is no Hans, Mrs. Van Hoskins.  Zere is only me, Fritz."

"Oooh, what a shame..."

Edited by JohnMor - 8/18/10 at 4:26pm

"That's someone named Eunice?"

Love this movie! My 9 year old daughter loved it too, which shows that good comedy is almost timeless. I think I was about ten when I first saw it on TV,  and I got a bit of a crush on Streisand. Oh my gosh is she gorgeous in those close ups. And so funny--and that voice. Of course Ryan O'Neal is amazingly handsome in this as well. What a great film...I recommend it to everyone out there. Looks far better than I've ever seen it before. One of the best comedies of all time.

 

Also I can't believe all those car case and crash scenes. For that it's almost as good as Bullitt!

I've always loved this movie have the DVD and hesitated on buying BluRay because of bad Amazon reviews. Bought it because of what I read here and... I find the picture to be just crawling with pixelated moving grain. What it looks like is the DVD with a little color enhancement.

I don't think Warners bothered to remaster this in HD from the negative, they just upconverted the previous transfer, which is something they have done before with other releases, and a reason why I no longer automatically replace DVDs when they come out on Blu Ray. Had they actually done a new transfer it would look MUCH better than it does now. I have much older movies on good DVD or Bly Ray that look like they were shot yesterday. This looks like it was mastered in 48-from 16mm. Shame on Warners.
Edited by NY2LA - 2/15/12 at 1:28pm

Name one Warner title that's an upconvert. I think that's baloney and this title looks great.

Warner reissued Willy Wonka without doing a new transfer. And What's Up, Doc? looks like crap compared to older movies that HAVE been remastered. Maybe your system's settings are more forgiving of grain and picture noise.