A Few Words About A few words about...™ Thank Your Lucky Stars -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

David Butler, the director of Thank Your Lucky Stars, has his roots in the silent cinema, with a career as an actor beginning in the teens and twenties, before moving into directing around 1927.

He's probably best known here at HTF for some of his Fox work in the thirties, directing Eddie Cantor (among others), hence the connection to TYLS.  At WB, he directed San Antonio and Calamity Jane.

TYLS is a slightly, delightfully nutty film, about producers prepping to put on a show for the war effort.

The stars, virtually every major name on the Warner lot, donated their time (and salaries) to the Hollywood Canteen, which was originally supported by John Garfield and Bette Davis.

To me, the film, seen here for the first time in decades in absolutely stunning quality, has always reminded me of those signs that one might see along the highway during a drive to Florida in fifties.  SEE Alligator Wresting!!  SEE Shrunken Heads!!

Here the odd attraction is seeing Humphrey Bogart playing a rift on his bibliophile character in The Big Sleep in a scene with S.Z. Sakall (Casablanca), hearing Bette Davis and Ann Sheridan sing, seeing Hattie MacDaniel dressed as a bride, or catching a hot number by Olivia De Havilland, Ida Lupino and George Tobias -- I don't recall hearing any of them sing before.

Bottom line, Thank Your Lucky Stars has been beautifully restored for WB's Archive Collection, and it remains, to this day, one of the stranger films to come from the studio, and an absolute delight.  Anyone for some great tunes song by former big band songstress Dinah Shore, in one of her rare feature film appearences.

Image - 5

Audio - 5

Pass / Fail - Pass

Recommended

RAH

Matt Hough said:

I watched this Blu-ray this afternoon after having it rest on my To-Watch shelf for many, many months. Though as usual I tired of the Eddie Cantor frame story (though I have to say he was a good sport to allow so many stars to take pot shots at him), the score is a tonic and many of the stars putting over the numbers display charm and are delightful even though musicals aren't their element (but John Garfield definitely showed he was not cut out to be a musical performer).

The quality was really first rate with superb sharpness (except for glamour photography for Dinah Shore's close-ups) and a perfectly clean picture. Mono sound was very crisp and accurate. Glad to have this in my collection!

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