The Sunshine Boys, a very funny comedy based upon the Broadway play of the same name by Neil Simon, is being released by Warner Archive with a nearly stellar Blu-ray transfer.
Studio: MGM
Distributed By: Warner Archive
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA
Subtitles: English SDH
Rating: PG
Run Time: 1 Hr. 51 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray
Standard Blu-ray CaseDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: A
Release Date: 06/16/2015
MSRP: $21.99
The Production Rating: 4.5/5
When The Sunshine Boys was released in 1975, film critic Roger Ebert had an opportunity to observe co-stars Walter Matthau and George Burns having a conversation in Burns' hotel suite.
"I heard there's a book out that says Hugh Hefner has had two thousand women in twenty years," Matthau said.
"Two thousand?" said Burns.
"That's right."
"That works out to one thousand girls every ten years."
"That's right."
"A hundred girls a year. A different girl every three or four nights." He studied his cigar.
"Hefner has to be a very unhappy man," Matthau said.
"That's easy, that many girls," Burns said. "It's easy to do with two thousand different girls. What's hard is two thousand times with your wife."
The conversations between once-famous vaudeville comedians Willie Clark (Matthau) and Al Lewis (Burns) are frequently funny but not nearly as friendly as the one which Ebert transcribed in Burns' hotel suite. Willie is a cantankerous, dyspeptic old man who despises Al for retiring 11 years earlier, thereby breaking up their act after 47 years. For his part, Al doesn't hate Willie - he just can't stand him.
Al occasionally appears to be getting senile, but he leads a pleasant, quiet life in New Jersey with his daughter and grandchildren. Willie, on the other hand, still considers himself a working show business professional, although the only auditions his agent-nephew Ben (Richard Benjamin) can get for him are for television commercials. Willie invariably fails to get hired because of his penchant for irritating directors and forgetting his lines. For example, he auditions for a potato chip commercial but is rejected because he refuses to correctly pronounce the brand name. He always blames Ben for his failures.
However, one day Ben gets a phone call from ABC, which is planning a television special about the history of comedy, and they want Lewis & Clark - who in their heyday were known as "The Sunshine Boys" - to reunite and perform their most famous vaudeville sketch on the program. The problem for Ben is that Willie refuses to work with Al, and Al is not thrilled about the prospect of getting together with Willie. Ben finally persuades them to give it a try, and then the real fireworks begin.
The Sunshine Boys would have worked even if there were fewer laughs in Neil Simon's screenplay, because Matthau and Burns (who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor) play their roles brilliantly. Matthau was 24 years younger than Burns, but as New York Times film critic Vincent Canby put it, "Mr. Matthau is so good playing old men, we may never know when he finally becomes one." Burns, who excelled at playing the straight man opposite his wife Gracie Allen, deserved his Academy Award with his low key, subtle digs in response to Willie's frequent outbursts. Ironically, the part of Al was originally given to Burns' close friend, Jack Benny, who withdrew when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Richard Benjamin does a fine job as the frequently and justifiably exasperated nephew. Lee Meredith humorously plays a sexy nurse during the vaudeville routine, a performance which is reminiscent of her memorable role as Ulla in The Producers. Howard Hesseman appears as a television commercial director, and there are cameo appearances by Phyllis Diller and Steve Allen. The film benefits from fine direction by Herbert Ross. Viewers may have trouble recognizing F. Murray Abraham as an auto mechanic early in the film.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA
The 1080p video is encoded with the AVC codec and is framed at 1.85:1. The opening credits include fascinating black & white snippets of scenes of vintage vaudeville performances. The picture quality is excellent, the only exception being the opening scene of Willie walking down Broadway in which the contrast is boosted excessively. Thankfully, the rest of the film is just fine. The cinematography by David M. Walsh is superb, and the location filming in New York City is exquisite. Viewers who are familiar with Manhattan will want to freeze-frame many of the shots and savor the sights as they appeared 40 years ago.
Readers are encouraged to check out the comments about this presentation of The Sunshine Boys by our resident expert, Robert A. Harris:
A few words about...™ The Sunshine Boys -- in Blu-ray
Audio Rating: 4.5/5
The DTS HD-MA 2.0 mono audio is flawless. Every word of Neil Simon's dialogue is clear and understandable, and when Walter Matthau goes into one of his rants the viewer sits up and takes notice! There is no musical soundtrack to speak of, although instrumental versions of the song "Make 'Em Laugh" is played over the opening and closing credits, as well as during the rehearsal for the television special.
English SDH subtitles are available.
Special Features Rating: 3.5/5
The extras on this Blu-ray disc include a commentary track by Richard Benjamin, which apparently was recorded around the time that he directed the remake of The Goodbye Girl. He includes some fascinating tidbits, including the fact that George Burns memorized all of his dialogue before the first rehearsal because he figured that would lessen the chances that he would be fired!
A make-up test of Walter Matthau and Jack Benny also is included. It appears that Benny already was feeling the effects of his illness at that point, but he and Matthau were certainly having a good time. Unfortunately there is no sound, so if there are any lip readers who see this review, please tell us what they are laughing about.
Phil Silvers was considered for the role of Willie, and we see two audition takes in which he says nothing but is trying to straighten up the apartment. Silvers was a fine comedian but it is difficult to imagine that he could have topped Walter Matthau's performance.
"The Lion Roars Again" is a 1975 promotional film about MGM's film releases that year, including Logan's Run, The Wind and the Lion, and of course The Sunshine Boys. It is framed at 1.33:1 and has a running time of just under 17 minutes.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
The Sunshine Boys is a tour-de-force for both Walter Matthau and George Burns, and is a must-see for their fans and fans of screenwriter Neil Simon. This MGM production is another outstanding entry in the library of Warner Archive Blu-ray discs. It can be ordered through the Warner Archive website.
Reviewed By: Richard Gallagher
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