Customer Reviews

The Alice Faye Collection (That Night in Rio / Lillian Russell / On the Avenue / The Gang's All Here)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While the musicals of MGM are best remembered and most admired today due to Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and the production unit of Arthur Freed, it is worth remembering that Twentieth Century Fox were scoring consistent bulls' eyes at the boxoffice at the same time with their much less pretentious and more accessible blondes Alice Faye, Betty Grable and June Haver. The first, and for some, the best of these blondes was Alice Faye and this DVD collection is a welcome addition to the Fox Marquee Musical Series.

Faye was an excellent singer with a natural but untrained contralto voice and an instinct for interpretation which made her the most popular female "pop" singer in films of her era. She was the female equal of Bing Crosby. Composers clambered to have her introduce their songs and she launched far more standards than any of her contemporaries. She also developed into a competent actress with a trade mark modesty, vulnerability and warmth which captured the hearts of all, particularly men.

This collection contains 4 films all of which were Box Office smashes. The first two are in black and white and the last two in the garish technicolour for which Fox musicals became famous. All of the films benefit from Fox's trademark sound and photography, possibly the best in Hollywood. More detailed descriptions of each film can be viewed under the individual titles but by way of summary:

- "On the Avenue", released in 1937, has Faye supporting Dick Powell and Madelaine Carroll in a funny film whereby Powell's play lampoons the richest girl in the world, played by Carroll. Faye plays Powell's sidekick and carries her share of the excellent Irving Berlin songs, including the rollicking "Let's go Slumming" and the superb lament "This Years Kisses". The Ritz Brothers, the unsubtle trio who existed somewhere between the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges, are on hand too and they are quite funny for once. The film was made not long after Faye was regroomed by Darryl Zanuck from an imitation Jean Harlow into a smooth performer with her own warm personality. Reviewers of the time suggested she stole the film, particularly as so many preferred warm and lush Faye to charming but cool Carroll.
- By 1940, with "Lillian Russell", Faye was the box office queen in the United States and the transformation from "On the Avenue" in 3 years is amazing. Now she is a showcased film star in a superbly mounted vehicle about the icon from the turn of the century. Unfortunately, she is hampered by a lugubrious script, distorted facts and plodding direction so the film is heavy going. Faye herself, performs with great charm and sings "Blue Lovebird", a really beautiful song. She looks magnificent in the period costumes too but she isn't Lillian Russell.
- In 1941, Carmen Miranda was box office dynamite and the contrast of all American Faye with the Brazilian Bombshell in "That Night in Rio" contributes to the excellent entertainment. This film is one of a number which promoted the Good Neighbour Policy with South America although there is nothing which really distinguishes the sets from a glittering night club. The colour, costumes and musical numbers are spectacular with a particularly dazzling opening number. Faye's role as a baroness is almost a supporting one and she is miscast but it hardly matters. She only has 2 numbers but one, "They Met in Rio" suits her deep throated and underplayed emotional delivery perfectly. Don Ameche plays a dual role and he is great fun.
- By 1943, Faye was happily married to Phil Harris and thinking of retirement. "The Gangs all Here" is an absurd period piece, a camp classic about a soldier and the two girls "he left behind". Faye grounds the madness with her knowing expressions but she balked at continuing her film career with such nonsense and this in fact was her last musical. She delivers 2 great Harry Warren songs. "No Love No Nothing" resonates with its war time lyrics. Carmen Miranda sings "The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat" which is completely mad and hilarious. Busby Berkeley's use of colour is notable, especially in the finale, but the number itself is endless.

The DVD set comes with some worthwhile extras including a pleasant and informative documentary split over 2 DVDs about Faye in which her daughters and biographer appear, one about the real Lillian Russell which serves to highlight just how much the film version distorts the truth and another about Busby Berkeley which is only OK.

The prints of the films have been restored but "On The Avenue" still shows signs of wear and tear and "Lillian Russell" has visible tears in it. The technicolour films, however, look very odd, especially "The Gang's all Here". It is much darker than expected, missing the dazzling colours which were its best feature, but you can use the brightness/colour/hue on your player to improve it significantly. Ironically, there is a "before and after restoration comparison" and this is one example when the bright "before" looks so much better than the dark "after", in spite of any dirt removed from the print.

"On The Avenue" has an excellent commentary by Miles Kreuger. Kreuger has a particularly pleasant and clear voice so he is a pleasure to hear. He also has the ability to balance observations about the film nicely with biographical details about the players. In contrast, Drew Casper, the commentator on "The Gang's all Here", is hard to hear at times, frequently states the obvious and has a breathless and repetitive delivery which is very tiresome. He comes over as an overeager fan, not a articulate commentator.

The package includes a couple of deleted scenes, one of which, Faye's rendition of "Chic Chic Boom Chic", has never been seen before. Some of the trailers for the films are included and finally, there is a short film of Faye from the eighties when she worked for Phizer Pharmeceuticals. It is great to see her looking so good, an ex-movie queen who managed to age gracefully,

The DVD collection is good value and its mere existence helps restore Faye to the exalted position she once held.

This collection of Alice Faye movies is a must for all lovers of musicals. Although MGM is considered the leader when it comes to musicals, 20th Century Fox musicals are my favorites. They are less steeped in reality and, for me, a lot more colorful and fun. The GANG'S ALL HERE is a Busby Berkeley Technicolor extravaganza with Alice, Carmen Miranda, Charlotte Greenwood and Benny Goodman and His Orch. Don't miss it! THAT NIGHT IN RIO is another beautiful Technicolor winner with Alice, Carmen Miranda and Don Ameche in dual roles. LILLIAN RUSSELL is a turn-of-the century bio-pic filled with great music, costumes and elaborate sets. ON THE AVENUE boasts a wonderful score by the master himself, Irving Berlin. Alice is joined by Dick Powell and Madelaine Carroll in this musical comedy romp with the zany Ritz Bros. I hope there will be a volume two, because there are many more great films of the talented Alice Faye.

The studio should have invested more in the film to dvd transfer, the colors are a real disaster especially in "The Gang's All here".
I whish I could ask for a refund. You know now what to expect...

This is a very nice set from Fox. After the dismal sales of the Betty Grable Collection, I was worried that Alice Faye's films wouldn't be coming out. Not the case. Fox did an excellent job with extras and the transfers look very good, except The Gangs All Here. It's really disappointng since this was such a vibrant Technicolor musical. The movie looks washed out and has a mustardy yellow greenish tinge. If you look at the restoration comparison, you'll clearly see that the Laser Disc version from 1994 was sooooo much better. They should seriously do something with this awful transfer and do a disc replacement. Shame on you fox. Other than that one mishap, this is a grear set for Alice Faye fans and musical fans, too.

How wonderful to have these films on DVD at last .
They are some of her best films.
Please can we now have Rose Of Washington Square,Tin Pan Alley,Hello Frisco Hello.
Also it would be good to see the Tyrone Power & Sonia Heine Films as well.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has been turning out some first-rate discs lately, exemplified by last week's release of "The Mr. Moto Collection, Volume 2," the final release in the studio' Mr. Moto series. The Moto films, atmospheric tales of international intrigue starring Peter Lorre as a vaguely Asian adventurer, again look sharp, clear and solid in Fox's transfers.

But something has gone horribly wrong with "The Alice Faye Collection," a four-disc set of Fox musicals including one of the studio's crown jewels: "The Gang's All Here," Busby Berkeley's psychedelic Technicolor extravaganza of 1943. The original Technicolor separation negatives were destroyed in the 1980s at a time when Fox was trying to purge its library of nitrate film elements, and the movie was transferred to an Eastman Color internegative on safety stock. The Eastman material has since faded, producing dark, heavy tones. Fox's engineers have apparently made an attempt to brighten the colors digitally, only to have the pigments look flat and pale.

The results, as in the celebrated giant bananas number starring the unforgettable Carmen Miranda, are disappointing and even grotesque; those big bananas are a washed-out tan color rather than the original, eye-popping yellow.

The other films in the set - Irving Cummings's Technicolor "That Night in Rio" (1941); Mr. Cummings's black-and-white biopic "Lillian Russell" (1940); and Roy Del Ruth's adaptation of Irving Berlin's "On the Avenue" - look somewhat better, though "Avenue" shows serious print damage throughout.

But "The Gang's All Here" represents another great film lost, this time right under our noses. We, and the studio libraries, ought to know better by now.

How wonderful to finally get a box-set of Fox's greatest blonde - Alice Faye - and for the first time ever on DVD .
Fox has been poor at its' DVD releases of the vintage gems concentrating on the "obvious" titles and their marketing is not nearly as strong as WB unfortunately who have shoved all the MGM musicals down our throat.
Let's set the record straight - Alice Faye and her Fox musicals were the biggest hits of their day - entertaining and unpretentious - enjoyable and touching. From about 1937 through 1945 Fox were the "tops" at film musicals with the theatre owners and public - far more modern than their rivals and with a finger on the public pulse.
Alice faye was the foremost female singer in the movies of her day and advanced pouplar song for female singers with her unusual , low , warm voice. She may not have been a "great" actress but she was very believable , convincing and sincere in every role she played and sold songs like no other ladies on the screen.Even Bette Davis admired Alice!
It really is about time that FOX started shouting about their marvellous musicals and stopped MGM grabbing all the kudos!
Come on now Fox , get some of the other gems with Alice Faye out there and in particular here in the UK which has never even had Alexander's Ragtime Band on DVD ! Co-ordinate your releases - make sure DVD shops have them in the right section and publicise their availability as many DVD collectors would love to have the FOX Blondes sitting on their shelves.

I am so glad to see these films on DVD that I hate to give the set anything less that five stars. However, I was disappointed in "The Gang's All Here" like other reviewers, because of the color. I have this film on laser disc and the print is much better. Technicolor is especially important to this film. What happened? Collectors have come to expect the best when DVDs are released these days and this movie should have been treated with more respect. I am still happy with the others in the set so why not release more Alice Faye, maybe even some of the older films from the mid-30s? Everything from 1939 through 1943 should be available at some point.

There has been some dialogue about the disappointing color of THE GANG'S ALL HERE. All I had to do was press the tint and color buttons on my remote, and the color was gorgeous and astonishing as only Fox musicals are. Don't take this movie seriously - - just sit back and enjoy one of the most colorful, fast-moving, and entertaining musicals of the forties with so many of our favorite performers. The production numbers are astounding! Alice was never more beautiful than in LILLIAN RUSSELL. The closeup for Blue Lovebird with the black background against her blonde beauty takes your breath away. Lillian does get somewhat bogged down in the last half, especially with the boring Weber and Fields routine, but it is a sumptuous picture and very enjoyable. ON THE AVENUE is definitely Alice's film. Her rendition of This Year's Kisses can't be beat. The Ritz Brothers had talent, but it was never controlled and went over the top much too often. Alice gets a little feisty in this picture, and she's a kick. Faye, Miranda and Ameche are all very good in THAT NIGHT IN RIO. The story is really delightful with Don playing a dual role. Alice looks sexy and smashing. Miranda was at her best in That Night in Rio, Week-end in Havana, and The Gang's All Here (the three films in which she appeared with Faye). She was a delight until she became a caricature of herself in later films (even going blonde).

All in all a very satisfying package showcasing one of the foremost and loveliest singing actresses in the history of Hollywood.

To me, this is one of those collections where you win some, you lose some.
It gets my four stars for "That Night in Rio" and "The Gang's all Here", both epitomising the gaudy, sometimes garish, tuneful Fox musicals after they went into color. "Rio" is actually a tour de force for Don Ameche and Carmen Miranda, but Alice looks and sings her best in an unusually sophisticated role. Similarly, she's great in "The Gang's All Here", another splashy extravaganza given an extra kick by Busby Berkley's inventive and bizarre talents. But to me, the most bizarre aspect of this movie is the inclusion of someone called Phil Baker, whom I gather was well known in radio at the time. Radio is where he should have stayed. On film, he has no impact, no looks, no charisma and no visible talent. The other two movies in this collection get thumbs down from me. "On the Avenue" comes over as a weak attempt at screwball comedy set to music, which is a pity as the music is good and even though Alice has a supporting role she gets the best Berlin numbers and sings them beautifully. A pity about the Ritz Brothers. Their so-called comedy routines are painful. Which also goes for the attempt to re-create the comedy team of Weber and Fields in a long, boring sequence of "Lillian Russell". It's unfunny, which is a shame, because if ever a movie needed a lift it's "Lillian Russell". Despite the obvious opulence of sets and costumes, there's something depressing and funereal about this B&W film that cries out for color and vivacity. The script launderised Russell's life, so if they weren't sticking to facts the writers could have at least lightened things up a little. Alice plods through it, doing her best, but it's a mournful affair. This is the trouble with some collections - they package the lesser with the best. But in this case, the best is worth it for Faye fans.