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Tyrone Power Matinee Idol Collection (Cafe Metropole/Girls Dormitory/Johnny Apollo/Daytime Wife/Luck of the Irish/Ill Never Forget You/That Wonderful Urge/Love Is News/This Above All/Second Honeymoon)

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4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tyrone Power died on November 15, 1958. In 2007, 20th Century Fox released a five-disk set of Power's swashbuckler films and was overwhelmed by its success - so overwhelmed, in fact, that a year later, they are following it up with 10 more films, the majority of which are from Power's early days at the studio where he spent about 17 years of his 22-year career. In addition, Power's anniversary is due to be celebrated at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles in November, with tributes at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and in his home town of Cincinnati to follow. It's probably not enough for a tremendous star who doesn't benefit from Turner Classic Movies network or books because TCM doesn't own his films, and it's definitely not enough for this highly underrated actor whose breathtaking looks received most of the reviews.

This second collection, the "Matinee Idol" collection consists of Girls Dormitory, in which he has a small role but received most adulation on the preview cards. It's said that Hedda Hopper sat through the film twice to make sure she had his name right. Next is Love is News, a wonderful film showing Power's ability at comedy; Cafe Metropole, a delicious Lubitsch-like comedy; Second Honeymoon, a "Private Lives" takeoff about the beautiful people - Love is News, Cafe Metropole and Second Honeymoon all co-star Loretta Young; Daytime Wife, costarring a very young Linda Darnell, a rather flimsy comedy also starring Warren William (this light film is said to be Power's punishment for defying the studio and marrying his first wife, Annabella). Gangster drama Johnny Apollo rounds out the '40s, Power costarring with the lovely Dorothy Lamour.

This Above All was based on the best-seller by Eric Knight, and although all the hot sex was removed from the film, it still holds up as a war drama and wonderful acting vehicle for Power and Joan Fontaine. Jeanine Basinger, author of "The Star Machine" feels this film could have helped Power turn a corner into more dramatic acting had not World War II intervened. Post-war, a remake of Love is News with Gene Tierney, That Wonderful Urge; Luck of the Irish, a sprightly comedy popular around St. Pat's Day, and I'll Never Forget You, which hasn't been seen in decades due to legal problems. It has been one of the most requested films to be put on DVD for several years.

Features include a career retrospective, a scene cut from Cafe Metropole, Judy Lewis talking about her mother Loretta Young's relationship with Tyrone Power, and a film narrated by two of Power's children.

Discontented with Hollywood, Power went on to distinguish himself in theater in London and on Broadway. He made some of his best films away from 20th Century Fox, particularly Witness for the Prosecution, Abandon Ship, The Eddy Duchin Story and The Long Gray Line. It is estimated that his films grossed $1 billion during decades when films cost a nickel, a dime, a quarter and at the time of his death, an average price of $.68. That's a lot of people - and a lot of popcorn.

Last year's volume one of Tyrone Power movies did very well, and Fox is giving us another box set of Power's films as a result. This contains some of Power's less remembered films and is completely absent the swashbuckling roles that dominated the first set.

Luck of the Irish (1948) American Steven Fitzgerald is visiting Ireland when he meets a beautiful Irish girl. However, Steven is ambitious and he has a chance to marry the boss' daughter back in America with all of the priveleges such a union would entail. What will he do?

Johnny Apollo (1940) In the title role Power is the son of a man who is embarrassingly guilty of stealing from his corporation's shareholders. With his father in prison and the money all gone, Power's character is also labeled as untrustworthy because of his father's behavior, and thus he cannot find a job. He takes up with gangsters and eventually ends up in prison next to dad. Will he turn his life around or attempt escape?

Day-Time Wife (1939) Power plays Ken Norton and Linda Darnell plays his wife Jane. Jane finds out that Ken is stepping out with his secretary. Jane is determined to find out what these men see in their secretaries and takes a job as one herself, always making excuses for her daytime absences. Her own boss makes a play for her that ends up with Jane, her boss, her husband, and hubby's secretary all in the same night spot at the same time. Will it be divorce or reconciliation?

Cafe Metropole (1937). So early in Power's career that he isn't even top billed at this point. Power plays a young American in Paris who is in debt to a nightclub owner (Adolphe Menjou). He impersonates a Russian prince so he can woo wealthy Laura Ridgeway (Loretta Young), get his hands on her money, and repay Menjou. A good but rarely seen comedy.

Girls' Dormitory (1936) This movie is so early in Power's career that he is buried in the credits. This really isn't his film at all, but it is still above average. This is a melodrama in which a teacher in a girls' school (Herbert Marshall) is loved both by a colleague (Ruth Chatterton) and by a student (Simone Simon).

I'll Never Forget You (1951) The best film in the set, and previously entangled in a rights issue that prevented its release on DVD. If you've seen "Somewhere in Time" you've seen at least part of this film. Power plays a modern day scientist who wills himself back to the 18th century. He uses his modern scientific knowledge to build models of modern devices such as the steam engine in an effort to move progress forward more quickly than history did. However, in the superstitious past his inventions scare people rather than spark their creativity. He does fall in love with a girl from that century though, but loses her when reality brings him back to the present.

Love is News (1937) - A screwball comedy in which Power plays newspaper man Steve Layton who is hounding heiress Toni Gateson (Loretta Young). Toni turns the tables by announcing that she is engaged to Layton, something that is completely untrue.

That Wonderful Urge (1948) - An attempt to remake the screwball comedy "Love is News" that just didn't work for me. Power did several comedies that were good, but this just wasn't one of them.

This Above All (1942) - Upper-class Englishwoman (Joan Fontaine) enlists in the WAF during WWII. She falls in love with American Clive Briggs (Tyrone Power) whom she learns is a deserter.

Second Honeymoon (1937) - Loretta Young and Tyrone Power are a divorced couple who run into each other after Young's character remarries.

"Tyrone Power Matinee Idol Collection" may lack the opulence of the first Power ("Swashbuckler") collection, but it does offer the legendary star at his most handsome, as well as one of his most 'in demand' titles, "I'll Never Forget You", a generation after it's last television screening...which makes the collection a must!

There are 5 discs in the boxed set:

DISC 1:
"Girls Dormitory" (1936): In less than 3 minutes on-screen, in a minor role, the astonishingly handsome Power 'steals' this melodrama! A rather tame love triangle between middle-aged, bachelor professor Herbert Marshall, his devoted co-worker (Ruth Chatterton), and a barely-legal nymphet (Simone Simon, in her American debut), becomes every 'dirty old man's' fantasy, with it's off-kilter resolution...2 stars (out of 5)

Special Feature: Brief look at Power's life and acting career...

"Café Metropole" (1937): Delightful sophisticated comedy that marked Power and Loretta Young's third teaming. Penniless Power must repay a debt to Parisian club owner Adolph Menjou by pretending to be a Russian count, to fleece heiress Young. Sly and funny, this screwball tale is silly without losing it's charm... 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Special Feature: Two deleted Dance Sequences featuring Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson...

DISC 2:
Two versions of the same story, each starring Power...
"Love is News" (1937): Glib, muck-raking reporter Power is given a taste of his own medicine when heiress Loretta Young falsely announces they are engaged. In their second of five films together, both seem too young and 'nice' for their roles, but the comedy benefits immensely from Don Ameche's energized 'take' as Power's boss, and grand support by George Sanders and Slim Summerville. Great fun! 3 1/2 stars (out of five)

Special Feature: A look at Power and Young's five films, with recollections by Young's daughter (by Clark Gable)...

"That Wonderful Urge" (1948): Padded remake of "News" offers Power, at 34, more believable as the opportunistic reporter, but his co-star, Gene Tierney, lacks Young's warmth and compassion. This time around, the heiress fibs they are married, but even with more comic opportunities, the film lacks sparkle (although Chill Wills does a nice turn in the Summerville role)...2 1/2 stars (out of five)

DISC 3:
"This Above All" (1942): Dunkirk survivor/deserter Power finds redemption in the love of WAAF Joan Fontaine, and the kindness of the British people who befriend him as he eludes the authorities. While Power's American accent is incongruous in the leading role, he is very sincere, and Fontaine is terrific, with excellent support from Thomas Mitchell and Nigel Bruce. A British flag-waving drama, to be sure, but still moving...4 stars (out of five)

"Second Honeymoon" (1937): Power and Young's fourth teaming, in a dated, silly comedy, of ex-husband Power attempting to win Young away from her boorish current spouse (Lyle Talbott). Typical 30s stereotypes (idle rich leading carefree, globe-trotting lives, alcohol abuse as funny, rather than a problem), redeemed, somewhat, by the stars' chemistry. Stuart Erwin sparkles as Power's bookish valet, and there is a cute in-joke about Power's resemblance to British star Ronald Colman (who had, in fact, co-starred with Young in three films). 2 1/2 stars (out of five)

DISC 4:
"Day-Time Wife" (1939): Lightweight fluff of suspicious wife Linda Darnell (at just 16!), taking on a secretarial job with Warren William to discover why hubby Power might be cheating with his secretary. Dumb premise, but William, an old hand at playing lecherous bosses, lifts the film above average... 2 1/2 stars (out of five)

Special Feature: Power's three children reminisce about their dad...

"Johnny Apollo" (1940): Noirish melodrama of Power turning to a life of crime to pay off his embezzler father's debts. Power is surprisingly good in the darker role, as are Edward Arnold as his father, and Lloyd Nolan, as Power's racketeer mentor. Dorothy Lamour (fresh from "Road to Singapore") makes a very sexy leading lady for Ty! 4 1/2 stars (out of five)

DISC 5:
"The Luck of the Irish" (1948): Comic fantasy of traveling journalist Power befriending a sly leprechaun (Cecil Kellaway), and a saucy innkeeper (Anne Baxter), while in Ireland, and being granted good luck that leads his ambitions awry. Sweet-natured, with able support by Lee J. Cobb and Jayne Meadows, but the film cries out to be actually filmed in Ireland, and in Technicolor, rather than just with green-tinted Irish sequences. 3 1/2 stars (out of five)

Special Feature: Jayne Meadows' memories of Tyrone Power...

"I'll Never Forget You" (1951): The much-anticipated return of the magical romantic fantasy, as modern-day nuclear physicist Power is struck by lightning, and dropped into the body of his ancestor, in Technicolor-hued 1784 London. He finds unexpected love with Ann Blyth (in one of her best roles), but is soon declared insane from his knowledge of the future! With the wonderful Michael Rennie in support, the film suffers from a dated atomic-testing sequence, and washed-out colors in the 1784 sequences, but the plot is still terrific, and would inspire 1980's "Somewhere in Time"... 5 stars (out of five)

Special Feature: Ann Blyth's photos while in London...

The collection is well-worth the price!

Tyrone Power made 52 movies, and appeared in a wide variety of radio and stage work. He died tragically in his mid-40s and at the height of his career, his haunted, almost too pretty looks, all but hiding a formidable talent. While this new collection only hints at the strength and genius to come in such films as Nightmare Alley, The Sun Also Rises and Witness for the Prosecution, these earlier films are also a fair example of the middle-of-the-road Fox releases before and after the Second World War---popular, carefully constructed illustrations of mass entertainment and escapism.
The collection contains 10 films Power made between 1938-1951 as a Fox contract player, and his steady rise to film stardom is more than apparent here. Each film suggests a decided growth in Power's talent, from supporting player in Girls Dormitory to Loretta Young's love interest in three fluffy comedies---Love is News, Cafe Metropole and Second Honeymoon. Following his success with the proto-noir Johnny Apollo, he landed This Above All, an epic wartime romance then Daytime Wife, a flick that teams Power with Linda Darnell, who's stunningly beautiful in her first leading role. In Luck of the Irish, a whimsical leprechaun played by Cecil Kellaway, helps Power woo Anne Baxter. In That Wonderful Urge, Power joins Gene Tierney for romance, and finally, he teams with Ann Blyth for the multi-period costume drama I'll Never Forget You. Power died of a heart attack in 1958, and few performers today could even think of eclipsing---or even equaling---his style, good looks or talent.

Terrific box set! Hopefully it will lead to a third with Lloyds of London, Suez, Pony Soldier, King of the Khyber Rifles, and Untamed. The more Tyrone Power, the better.

Tyrone Power was from a reknown acting family. This collection focuses on movies not often showed on tv. Girl's Dormitory was merely a walk-on at the end of the picture but it was enough to catch the interest of the female preview audiences and set Power on his way as becoming the top male star of 20th Century Fox Studio. Both Johnny Apollo and This Above All showcase Power's acting abilities that were often not used by his studio. These films have great supporting actors, such as Loretta Young, Linda Darnell, Dorothy Lamour and Joan Fontaine. This is must for any Power fan.

All the movies were very, very entertaining. Even Girls' Dormitory, which only featured Tyrone. Some were more entertaining than others, such as the ones with, Loretta Young, Linda Darnell, Gene Tierney, and Dorothy Lamour. But, all in all I would recommend this collection to not only Tyrone Power fans, but movie lovers of all kinds. I actually bought it to get The Luck of the Irish, but I got a wonderful surprise with the nine other movies!

tyrone power great actor...the mark of zorro still a classic for me...among others he played the black rose etc.

This set fills some holes in my classic movie library. As well as giving Tyrone Power fans ten of his early films, it's also been a pleasure to increase the number of Loretta Young, Ann Blyth, Anne Baxter, Gene Tierney and Joan Fontaine titles in my collection. It's a really fun set. In many of his early movies, the females were the main box-office drawcard (this was especially true with the three films starring Loretta Young); although along the way the emphasis shifted to Power thanks to his handsome good looks and undeniable screen charisma.

In the Tyrone Power Matinee Idol collection, we can follow Ty's progress from supporting player to leading man. Starting with 1936's GIRLS' DORMITORY, a B-programmer starring Herbert Marshall and Ruth Chatterton--and Simone Simon in her American movie debut--we find Power in a small supporting role; indeed he doesn't actually appear until the final ten minutes. The story, set in a picturesque German girls' boarding school, was I imagine quite risqué for the time. Eighteen-year-old graduating student Marie Claudel (Simone Simon) is attracted to middle-aged head lecturer Dr. Dominick (Herbert Marshall). Dominick is also the secret infatuation of plain-jane professor Anna (Ruth Chatterton). Ms Simon sparkles off the screen and her scenes with Herbert Marshall are very memorable. J. Edward Bromberg also has some great scenes playing a filthy-minded old psychology professor who is slapped silly by Chatterton in one of the best scenes.

It was his appearance in GIRLS' DORMITORY which first got Power noticed by film critics and the producers at Twentieth Century-Fox soon cast their promising young leading man in the first of several films with Loretta Young (LOVE IS NEWS) in 1937. LOVE IS NEWS is a breezy romantic comedy starring Young as Toni Gateson, an heiress who decides to get even with Steve (Power), an overzealous reporter, by announcing she's going to marry him. A snappy comedy in the tradition of Capra's "It Happened One Night".

1937 was a busy year for Young and Power, who also co-starred in two more movies that year--CAFÉ METROPOLE and SECOND HONEYMOON. CAFÉ METROPOLE is a delicious screwball comedy (very Ernst Lubitsch in nature) where Power--pretending to be a Russian prince--romances sparky American heiress Young. SECOND HONEYMOON is a cute spin on "Private Lives" with a plot that revolves around newly-remarried Young bumping into her former husband (Power) during a vacation with Hubby #2 (Lyle Talbot), only to discover their passion is still alive and well. Delightful support is provided by Claire Trevor, J. Edward Bromberg and Marjorie Weaver.

Sultry brunette Linda Darnell is Ty's leading lady in 1939's DAY-TIME WIFE. When Jane (Darnell) suspects her husband Ken (Power) of carrying on an affair with his secretary, she exacts secret revenge by applying as a secretary to one of his business partners (Warren William). Loretta Young was originally cast as Jane before stunning nineteen-year-old Darnell came on the scene. On the strength of their chemistry here, the two would be paired again in "The Mark of Zorro" in 1940.

Ty found his most dramatic role to date in the pre-noir favourite JOHNNY APOLLO in 1940, with the lovely Dorothy Lamour. Power is the son of a Wall Street embezzler (Edward Arnold) who is forced to fend for himself when his father is sent to prison.

A stirring wartime romance, THIS ABOVE ALL (based on the book by Eric Knight) paired Power with Joan Fontaine in 1942, and was one of his final film roles before heading off for active service in the Marines. It's always a pleasure seeing Ms Fontaine, and whilst she was often criticised in her early films for being too wooden, she delivers an exceptional performance. Tyrone also completed "The Black Swan", "Son of Fury", and "Crash Dive" before his enlistment. He returned to the screen in 1946.

It was back to romantic comedy territory in 1948's THE LUCK OF THE IRISH, a whimsical fantasy with Anne Baxter (his Oscar-winning co-star from "The Razor's Edge"). 1948 also saw Power back in his original role for a remake of LOVE IS NEWS entitled THAT WONDERFUL URGE, this time with "Razor's Edge" leading lady Gene Tierney in the Loretta Young role.

Finally, in 1951's thrilling, time-traveling love story I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU, Power is seen in breathtaking Technicolor scenes which also showcase the porcelain beauty of Ann Blyth to maximum effect. Tied up in legal and copyright battles, which prevented any possible home video or cable releases for many, many years, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU finally makes it's long-awaited return with this box set collection.

Hopefully Fox will continue releasing these Tyrone Power boxes. In the third volume I'd love to see "Suez" (the final pairing of Power and Loretta Young), "Thin Ice", "Lloyd's of London", and maybe even "Ladies in Love".

Recommended.

Since the dawn of man the thought of time travel has been both mind boggling and fantastic! But this one is unique in the fact it took 50 years to get it in DVD! With actors Tyrone Power, Micheal Rennie and Ann Blyth in the cast - this one is GOLD!
Being very accurate in its own science, it depicts physics of fifty years ago.
Its "Wizard of Oz" black and white to color are well done in its story telling.
Take "The Time Machine" and you may go back "Time after Time"...
See this "Love Story" in its most unusual splendor.
Thank you
gary's movies