Customer Reviews

America's Sweetheart: Gale Storm

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I'm prejudiced in writing this as Gale was a very good friend for years and we talked on the phone quite often. Anyway, I recommend this Box set, some good early movies of hers and also nice TV shows. She had two Excellent TV series, My Little Margie and Gale Storm Show. She once told me she only agreed to do the Gale Storm show for they let her sing in every other episode. Luckily for me I've got every episode of both series.

Great compilation of Movies TV episodes of Gail Storm. Of special note is 2 episodes of "Oh Susanna" (Gail Storm Show) much harder to find than the "My Little Margie" series. A Must for any and all of Gail's many fans.

This collection of mainly public domain movies and TV episodes was compiled as a tribute to the late, great Gale Storm. What Baby Boomer does not remember her as the perky, petite, and trouble-prone Margie in the smash hit sitcom of the Fifties entitled "My Little Margie?"

There are some of the better Margie episodes here along with her follow-up sitcom "The Gale Storm Show." But the majority of this collection centers around some of Gale's early, and now mostly forgotten, low budget movies that were her stock in trade before the television era.

We see her 1940 film debut in a small role in the excellent Robert Stevenson film "Tom Brown's School Days." In the 1941 film "Uncle Joe," Gale plays a headstrong teenage daughter living with her parents in the fast-paced big city. In order to clear her mind of a number of "bad influences," including "modern art," Gale is sent to spend the summer with her kindly Uncle and Aunt and to discover the joys of a slower-paced life in the country.

And there's even a rare example of Gale appearing in a B-Western with none other than Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes. In some of the eight films in this collection, Gale plays supporting roles and in a few the lead.

The picture quality of most of the films presented in this collection varies, but they are generally above average and very watchable. Also, the sound is good with most of the offerings.

For those who don't like logos showing on the screen, there is a very small, semi-transparent logo in the lower right hand corner of each film that says "Hollywood Select Video." I did not find it distracting, however, I don't understand why some companies feel obligated to use logos. It gives the viewer the impression of watching current television programs and not a movie on a DVD.

That being said, I still think this collection is an excellent tribute to one of Hollywood's most versatile talents. And it's obvious that Hollywood Select Video put some time and thought into compiling this collection and didn't just throw it together. Gale Storm left us in 2009, but she's still very much alive in her amazing body of work from all areas of the entertainment world.