UHD Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ Annie - Columbia Classics Volume 3 -- in 4k UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[usrunnr]

I prefer the television version with Kathy Bates, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenowith, etc.

 

[harync]

Not to take ANYTHING away from VV (which I love) but somebody's got to stand up for Best Little Whorehouse!

Since Mr. Harris mentioned it, I feel like I should stand up for the Pirate Movie, which was terrible and glorious at the same time. I think HBO showed it every single day in the mid to late eighties.

 

[B-ROLL]

Since Mr. Harris mentioned it, I feel like I should stand up for the Pirate Movie, which was terrible and glorious at the same time. I think HBO showed it every single day in the mid to late eighties.

(A blatant rip-off of some other I-P) Followed by showings of A Night in Heaven on SCineMax ... Featuring Leslie Anne Warren who was in Victor/Victoria with Julie Andrews ... which will bring us back to Doh ...WE'VE GOT ANNIE ! !

Sadly in not-so-glorious VHS in this clip

 

[RobertMG]

I will watch anything with Albert Finney in it multiple times ... except "Annie." Bleh.

Finney was GREAT ---------- Scrooge 4K would be great and especially if they corrected it

 

[Noel Aguirre]

Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters-great. All others especially Annie herself NO. And the great Holder wasted here as in Dr Dolittle.
As for Huston? I blame the producers not him.
I'd rather watch Lost Horizon (1973 Columbia) than this. At least that's a camp classic.

 

[Noel Aguirre]

To each their own, but for me, Carol Burnett is what makes Annie watchable.

I would have preferred Angela Lansbury fresh off of Sweeney Todd.

 

[Will Krupp]

I would have preferred Angela Lansbury fresh off of Sweeney Todd.

Ironically enough, Dorothy Loudon followed Lansbury into the Broadway run of Sweeney in March 1980

 

[Richard Kaufman]

What is there to correct about "Scrooge"?

 

[uncledougie]

The Overture was left off the Blu-ray edition.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Annie had an overture?

 

[uncledougie]

No, Scrooge did. That was the question posed what was wrong with the Scrooge release. Maybe Annie should’ve in a more appropriate version.

 

[uncledougie]

Annie had an overture?

Looking into it a little more, IMDb notes that Annie showed to have an original theatrical running time of 130 minutes. My Blu-ray copy lists it as “approximately 127 minutes.” Could that discrepancy indicate an Overture that has since been omitted from all video releases? Frankly, after 40 years, I cannot recall whether or not it had one to play pre-credits.
And another side note: I saw a much later traveling production starting Sally Struthers as Miss Hannigan and John Schuck as Daddy Warbucks. It was a pleasant, if slightly lackluster production, but the two stars were fine. But I knew there’s was going to be an issue while hearing the Overture, since it wasn’t the full original version, and in fact, the production did dispense with “We’d Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover,” I suppose because there were diehards who would’ve been offended by that wry, satirical little ditty now deemed superfluous (wasn’t the setting pointedly the Depression era?) or controversial (so to avoid potential pearl clutching and smelling salts).
So anyway, if there’s about a 3-4 minute discrepancy reported in running time, is that a mistake or could it reflect an Overture, or if not, what’s missing?

 

[Will Krupp]

So anyway, if there’s about a 3-4 minute discrepancy reported in running time, is that a mistake or could it reflect an Overture, or if not, what’s missing?

I vote for mistake. The May 21, 1982 New York Times review of the movie lists a running time of 2 hours, 6 minutes. Considering all of three of those initial Manhattan engagements (Loew's Astor Plaza, Loew's Orpheum, and Loew's 34th St. Showplace) were in 70mm and 6 track Dolby Stereo, I would think they would be the most complete.

Now, for the counter argument.....

Loew's Astor Plaza DID run reserved seating. The New York Daily News, in ITS review, lists a running time of 2 hours, 10 minutes. The overture on the Original Cast Recording of the Broadway show runs a little under 3 and a half minutes. It's entirely possible, I suppose, that an overture played during the reserved seat run at the Plaza, but I can't imagine it wouldn't have shown up on the 4K release if that was the case. I think it would also be unlikely that the overture was designed to play only at Loew's Astor Plaza and nowhere else. I still vote for mistake but I wanted to be fair and present both possibilities.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

I vote for mistake. The May 21, 1982 New York Times review of the movie lists a running time of 2 hours, 6 minutes. Considering all of three of those initial Manhattan engagements (Loew's Astor Plaza, Loew's Orpheum, and Loew's 34th St. Showplace) were in 70mm and 6 track Dolby Stereo, I would think they would be the most complete.

That's my guess, too. Running times for movies were often (and still are sometimes) misreported in different publications for various reasons, and IMDB Trivia entries are always to be taken with a grain of salt.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Now, for the counter argument.....

Loew's Astor Plaza DID run reserved seating. The New York Daily News, in ITS review, lists a running time of 2 hours, 10 minutes. The overture on the Original Cast Recording of the Broadway show runs a little under 3 and a half minutes. It's entirely possible, I suppose, that an overture played during the reserved seat run at the Plaza, but I can't imagine it wouldn't have shown up on the 4K release if that was the case. I think it would also be unlikely that the overture was designed to play only at Loew's Astor Plaza and nowhere else. I still vote for mistake but I wanted to be fair and present both possibilities.

Well it definitely would fly in the face of the common belief that The Black Hole was the last first run film (before Hateful Eight mind you) with an overture.

 

[Will Krupp]

Well it definitely would fly in the face of the common belief that The Black Hole was the last first run film (before Hateful Eight mind you) with an overture.

I just don't see it, though, do you? It's been years since I've seen Annie, are the opening credits over what might be considered an overture? Would there have even been room for something else or would it have been redundant? I still think the 2hrs 10 min run time is a rounding error.

 

[Lord Dalek]

I just don't see it, though, do you? It's been years since I've seen Annie, are the opening credits over what might be considered an overture? Would there have even been room for something else or would it have been redundant? I still think the 2hrs 10 min run time is a rounding error.

If its not over black, a card that says overture, or an absence of credits its not an overture. Simple as that.

 

[uncledougie]

If its not over black, a card that says overture, or an absence of credits its not an overture. Simple as that.

The exceptions maybe prove the rule, but in fact the (edited) original Overture is played by the orchestra onscreen during the credits for the film version of Gypsy (1962). And of course there is My Fair Lady where the credits start in the middle of the Overture.

 

[Garysb]

I vote for mistake. The May 21, 1982 New York Times review of the movie lists a running time of 2 hours, 6 minutes. Considering all of three of those initial Manhattan engagements (Loew's Astor Plaza, Loew's Orpheum, and Loew's 34th St. Showplace) were in 70mm and 6 track Dolby Stereo, I would think they would be the most complete.

View attachment 160977

Now, for the counter argument.....

Loew's Astor Plaza DID run reserved seating. The New York Daily News, in ITS review, lists a running time of 2 hours, 10 minutes. The overture on the Original Cast Recording of the Broadway show runs a little under 3 and a half minutes. It's entirely possible, I suppose, that an overture played during the reserved seat run at the Plaza, but I can't imagine it wouldn't have shown up on the 4K release if that was the case. I think it would also be unlikely that the overture was designed to play only at Loew's Astor Plaza and nowhere else. I still vote for mistake but I wanted to be fair and present both possibilities.

Reserved seat is not a Roadshow. A Roadshow would have shown the film twice a day, not continous performances and the film would not been available in the suburbs. An overture was a feature of a Roadshow presentation. I don't think what was shown at the Loew's Astor Plaza ( a good theater RIP) was any different from the other theaters. Showtimes for the movie were the same in Manhatten for all 3 theaters. Reserve seats at a theater was just a way to gurantee a seat on the premise that the film was going to be so popular it would sell out. I don't believe the film was that popular.

They probably cast Annie so young looking in the hope there would be sequels.

 

[moviebuff75]

I remember we entered the drive-in during the opening credits, so I definitely didn't experience an overture! Lol.