Customer Reviews

Broadway Melody of 1936 / Broadway Melody of 1938

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3 star:		(1)
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Well they've gone and done it. Eleanor Powell is finally on dvd. Judy had already had dvds out, but this is her first performance on film and how wonderful its on dvd too. Brodaway Melody of 1936 is Eleanor's first film under contract unde MGM and she shows she's got the looks and the goods to be a leading lady on film. One of the greatest dancers of all time she charms and disarms by tapping out an delightful melody. And what Eleanor does with her feet, Judy does with her voice in HER first film. But don't you see? It's all about Eleanor, which is worth is weight in Oscar's gold. Good things, really good things are worth waiting for. Watch the best dancer of all time!

Enjoy!!!

One of those feel-good flicks that makes you want to appreciate musicals, even if action films are your cup of tea. A portrait of studio musical varieties that attempted to capture the detail level of broadway and vaudeville at the same time. Turner cleaned the sound and picture level in the only way Turner does -- with perfection. I enjoy Jack Benny so this is a rare treat for me, believing I saw every Benny movie ever made.

Two great Eleanor Powell movies. In the '38 one, she dances with George Murphy in the rain and a gazebo. Every bit as clever as Fred & Ginger's in "Top Hat"[Isn't it a Lovely Day?"] And, being stronger than Fred Astaire in upper body strength, Murphy can do the elegant dancing lifts of Eleanor Powell that Fred could not do. Eleanor Powell is generally regarded as the best female tap dancer of all time. Perhaps the best legs God ever put on a woman. In the '36 movie, note the terrific dance by Nick Long Jr.n the beginning. Wow! Talk about athleticism! Long then stopped acting and got into set design. Big loss of a gifted man dancer.

If only there were more classic two-movie sets like this! The picture and sound quality are impressive, which, of course, are even more requisite in a musical. Both movies are highly enjoyable and wonderful examples of the movie musical of the mid to late 30's. Highly recommended!

What an absolute delight to see the released pairing of these two movies in one package.Eleanor's first major film with BM/36 and I think besides BM/38 and BM/40,the best films she ever did.
The plots aren't important but just something to hang the wonderful and imaginative dance routines on "tap" throughout the pictures.BM/36's story involves one rather unimaginative gossip columnist Bert Keeler(Jack Benny)who tries to get the up to the minute dirt on a local Broadway producer Bob Gordon(Robert Taylor).Just about every time he writes something about Gordon,he receives a quick comeuppance in the jaw.Enter Irene Foster(Powell) who has come from her hometown of Albany,NY,to seek her fame and fortune.She is an old school chum of Gordon's but when she tries to see him she has no luck.Eventually showing up in person at one of his rehearsals and finally getting recognized, Gordon tries to talk her out of trying showbiz and sends her home.But she won't be discouraged and stays behind.In the meantime knowing Gordon is desperately looking for a leading lady Keeler makes up one and puts the name in his column(it is the name of a brand of cigars!).Irene gets wind of what is going on and decides the only way to get into Gordon's show is to impersonate the imaginary woman.The jig is up when a woman with the same real name decides she will sue if her name is used again in conjunction with the show.In the end Gordon attends what he thinks is a performance of the imaginary woman but in fact turns out to be a rather lavish audition by Irene.The movie ends with Irene and Gordon in a romantic clinch.
Powell's numbers aside,the movie has many,many highlights dancing-wise throughout and won an OSCAR in that department.In "Sing before Breakfast",in the only on-screen pairing of brother and sister act Vilma and Buddy Ebsen(yes,Jed Clampett of the Beverley Hillbillies!),it has them and Eleanor in a nice dancing threesome.Eleanor does her signature dance and song(she rarely sang her own songs and is dubbed here and in BM/38 by Marjorie Lane) to "You are my Lucky Star".Robert Taylor,June Night and Nick Long Jr.hoof up a storm in a very imaginative routine with some special camera tricks and furniture popping up on command.Mellifluous popular singer Frances Langford is along for some added talent in that department and watch for a young Don Wilson(an uncredited announcer at the beginning)who was already incorporated into Benny's acts on radio;and to be more famous later on television.Also watch for one Bob Wildhack who literally stops the picture doing a "dissertation" on his study of snoring.All in all this movie,like the one to follow,reeks of talent and which makes one opine that they REALLY do not make 'em like this anymore.The great songs are by legendary Brown and Freed.The print here is excellent and the special features includes a wonderfully crisp Harmon-Ising cartoon "To Spring" and a two strip Technicolour short"Sunkist stars at Palm Springs",a cornucopia of stars from Edmund Lowe,Buster Keaton to Betty Grable and then husband Jackie Coogan.Note of interest:the cameraman on this film was Charles Rosher,Chaplins' main man for many of his classics.
BM/38 concerns Peter Trot(Buddy Ebsen) and Sonny Ledford(George Murphy) two ex hoofers out of work and forced to ply a new trade in the horse business.When a horse that one Sally Lee(Eleanor Powell)raised from a colt(but doesn't own) becomes injured and is sold and shipped to New York via the train,she goes along with it;along with Trot and Ledford who are looking after it.Meanwhile a well to do businessman and his wife Herman and Caroline Whipple(Raymond Walburn and Binnie Barnes)have backed a show in the big apple being produced by one Steve Raleigh(Robert Taylor).When the three horse amigos arrive in New York Sally manages to impress Raleigh with her singing and dancing talents and soon the pair becomethisclose.Raleigh realizes Sallys' closeness with the horse she raised and through Ledford,buys it for her when it goes up for sale(with a loan from the Whipple's).Sally,Ledford and Trot work to bring the horse back to health and enter it in the next big race at Saratoga.Raleigh,much to the chagrin of the backers,makes Sally(an unknown quantity)the lead in his production.They financially back out because of this and also call up Raleigh's loan for the horse he bought.When they get wind of Sally and her friends plans to enter their horse in the race they go one better and buy a horse for themselves to race against them.The race is close but Sally's horse comes in the winner,the Whipples get their money back and Raleigh has his production money.The show goes on as laid out originally with Sally as the lead and the movie ends with a big production number from the show.
Another movie incredibly talent laden,it includes many memorable singing and dancing numbers.As usual Powell is a dancing powerhouse doing amazing things with her feet and the rest of her body.There is a neat number of note she does with Taylor that ends with both dancing into a huge water filled pot hole.Taylor keeps in character looking at Powell as they come up but Powell grins at the camera,almost laughing.Judy Garland is on hand to provide some nice singing numbers including her famous "You made me Love You" to pictures of Clark Gable.The legendary Sophie Tucker is also here acting as "mother" to Garland and to sing her signature" Some of these Days" and some other gems.She is an absolute delight throughout but her number "Your Broadway and My Broadway" was especially poignant.Humourist/actor/writer Robert Benchley is on hand to provide some comic relief as Taylor's PR man.Buddy Ebsen and George Murphy also hoof up a storm showing what pros they were.Watch Ebsen's shirt.In BM/36 he had a Mickey Mouse logo on one and in this film he had Donald Duck! Again Bob Wildhack stops the movie with his "dissertation" this time on the fine art of sneezing.You either like it or hate it.I found both of his appearances,though odd,refreshingly funny.The extras with this film include another Harmon-Ising cartoon(beautifully restored)"Pipe Dreams",an OSCAR winning short "That Mother Might live" and unbelievably rare audio outtakes for some of the soundtrack music.
All in all this is a highly recommended duo of top notch song and dance pictures from the vaults of MGM.BM/36 is a bit cleaner than BM/38 but both are generally clear and crisp in picture an sound.The extras on each also provide the viewer with some wonderful and pleasant surprises.Both are totally maxed out in the talent department which shows you the depth of the pool MGM had on hand.Both films of course highlight the girl next door sweetness and incredible powerhouse tap dancing talent of Eleanor Powell.These films along with BM/40 with Fred Astaire are,in my opinion,her best movies and no one should be without them.

After waiting for years for "Broadway Melody of 1936" on DVD, I was very pleased to get the two pictures (1936 and 1938) in one bargain-priced package. Technically, Warner, as usual, does right by these MGM classics. The picture quality is superb b/w, clear and bright even on a large screen TV. Could almost at times pass for HD.

Eleanor Powell's dance numbers are breathtaking, the song and dance number "Sing Before Breakfast" with Powell, Buddy Ebsen and his sister Vilma is wonderful and Jack Benny is fun as always. By the way, Warner, why hasn't Benny's picture "The Horn Blows At Midnight" shown up on DVD? Notwithstanding Jack's endless jokes about its being a turkey, it's actually a good little comedy, As Leonard Maltin rightly puts it "Broad" and "funny".

"Broadway Melody of 1938" isn't quite in the same league as 1936 but it's still a delight to have. I believe this completes the MGM Broadway Melody collection. An admirable project by Warner and much appreciated.

I like broadway melody of 1938 a lot.. Judy was sooo great and sweet in it. lets not forget about Dear Mr Gable you made me love you..la la la... really good movie and it also has the 1936 version so a great rare item...really great!

The 1936 film sports a good cast and a very entertaining story with many laughs, endearing characters, some good tap dancing and a couple of very catchy songs.

Jack Benny is very good as the snooping obnoxious gossip reporter and Phil Silvers is humorous as Benny's dumb assistant "Snoop." Una Merkel is her typically cute and likable self;, and Eleanor Powell's tap dancing is great to watch, as always. Also interesting to watch perform is the brother-sister duo of Buddy and Velma Ebsen.

This is a strictly lightweight comedy-musical that is long on the corn but also on everything that is entertaining. I always thought this was the best of the several "Broadway Melody" movies. It's certainly the most fun one to watch.

As for the 1938 "Melody," this is like the others in that it is fun, likable and lightweight with a story that mixes music, comedy and romance. Included in the comedy are two odd-ball characters who have single-scene routines, one of them (the man who analyzes sneezes) a repeat from the 1936 edition.

Everyone's character is nice in this movie except for Binnie Barnes' role of "Caroline Whipple." Eleanor Powell and George Murphy sing and dance and a young Judy Garland sings - just what we'd all except. I didn't find any of the songs in here that good but they weren't awful, either.

This may be a musical but the music wasn't the appeal for me: it was the nice characters in the film that made you feel good just watching them.

Getting both of these on DVD for the price of one is pretty amazing.

I thoroughly enjoyed both of these - I had seen them both previously, of course, but it's been a long time, and it's great to have them to be able to see any time I want to.

Just one observation - not necessarily a criticism, but an observation:

George Murphy, in everything I've ever seen him in, looks like he learned to dance by a mail order, by-the-numbers diagram dance course, and is still counting in his head the cadence to his steps as he performs.

He looks stilted and almost mechanical, and never seemed, even after all of his experience, to ever develop any gracefulness, or the smooth, polished moves that most dancers attain, especially after they've been doing it for awhile.

Even in later years, he has always looked the same.

He did look more relaxed and natural in the dance in the rain, around the gazebo, and you would think that he had finally developed some gracefulness, but later in the picture, in the formal dance numbers, he was right back to the stilted, mechanical dancer we have all come to know and love.

excellent DVD SET FOR anyone who enjoys broadway musicials I enjoy movies from the past also love the music great history.