15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good classic movie collection, April 27, 2007
This review is from: Comedy Classics 9 Movie Pack (DVD)
This is a 9 movie collection with 3 movies per disc. The videos include:
Disc 1:
His Girl Friday
The Groom Wore Spurs
My Favorite Brunette
Extra Feature: Radio Skit "Who's on First"
Disc 2:
Nothing Sacred
Father's Little Dividend (Father of the Bride II)
Beat The Devil
Extra Feature: Vintage Movie Poster Gallery
Disc 3:
Inspector General
My Dear Secretary
Road Show
Extra Feature: Laughing Out Loud - A montage of funny bits
The overall quality is very good especially for the price ($10 or less). These films have been cleaned up (not digitally re-mastered) from their original film versions. On some of the transfers, especially the color films, you can see the fuzzy edges of the degrading sources. Early Technocolor was prone to fast decaying; often the film was unwatchable within 10 years.
The extras make a great addition to the over all feel of the video. Like with the poster galleries its like being there when the movies were first released. I would highly recommend this collection to anyone looking for 9 of best comedies of the era.
One side note: Some of these movies are not politically correctly. Nothing Sacred is the one that stands out in my mind. Just remember these date back over 50 years. So some stereotypes that were socially acceptable then may offer others now.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good clean fun, April 13, 2008
This review is from: Comedy Classics 9 Movie Pack (DVD)
The ever-popular films in ST. CLAIR's "COMEDY CLASSICS 9 Movie Pack" feature many famous actors (see below) and directors: John Huston, William Wellman, Hal Roach, Howard Hawks, Vincente Minnelli, etc.
NOTABLES--
ROAD SHOW-- To avoid marriage to a gold digger, a rich playboy fakes insanity. Directed by "Our Gang" veteran, Hal Roach. His daughter Margaret appears as "Princess." Also in cameo is Shemp Howard-- his character is named "Moe," in honor of brother and fellow Stooge, Moe Howard. One of the "Charioteers" singing group is William B. Williams-- he later DJ'ed on NYC's WNEW-AM.
BEAT THE DEVIL-- A gang of con men headed to Africa in search of a uranium mine are stranded in Italy while their boat undergoes repairs. Directed by John Huston from a Truman Capote script. During filming, star Humphrey Bogart lost several teeth in a car wreck, which left him unable to speak clearly. His lines were recorded by a then-unknown British comic named Peter Sellers.
NOTHING SACRED-- Woman is mistaken that she has radium poisoning but goes to NYC anyway as the invited guest of a newspaper reporter. In the cast of this early Technicolor classic are two future cast members of "The Wizard of Oz": Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch) and tiny Billy Barty-- he played the boy in "The Lollipop Guild" who presented Dorothy with a giant lolly.
ST. CLAIR DVD multi-packs are reasonably priced, and offer fine quality video/audio transfers of unrestored public domain material. Discs are single-side recorded, plastic storage cases fairly sturdy, movie liner notes appear on box's back cover and most DVDs include bonus items.
GREAT COMEDY TEAMS (also from ST. CLAIR) offers ten more examples of Hollywood humor at its best.
Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.
DISC ONE--
(8.1) His Girl Friday (1940) - Cary Grant/Rosalind Russell/Ralph Bellamy/Gene Lockhart/Cliff Edwards
(5.1) The Groom Wore Spurs (1951) - Ginger Rogers/Jack Carter/Joan Davis/John Litel
(6.9) My Favorite Brunette (1947) - Bob Hope/Dorothy Lamour/Peter Lorre/Lon Chaney Jr./Reginald Denny (uncredited: Bing Crosby/Betty Hutton/Alan Ladd)
BONUS: Abbott & Costello perform "Who's on First?" on radio
DISC TWO --
(7.4) Nothing Sacred (1937) - Carole Lombard/Fredric March/Sig Ruman/Frank Fay/'Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom/Margaret Hamilton (uncredited: Billy Barty/Jinx Falkenberg/Hedda Hopper/Hattie McDaniel/Monty Wooley)
(6.5) Father's Little Dividend (1951) - Spencer Tracy/Joan Bennett/Elizabeth Taylor/Billie Burke/Russ Tamblyn/Hayden Rorke
(6.6) Beat the Devil (UK/USA/Italy-1953) - Humphrey Bogart/Jennifer Jones/Gina Lollobrigida/Robert Morley/Peter Lorre
BONUS: Poster Gallery
DISC THREE--
(6.9) The Inspector General (1949) - Danny Kaye/Walter Slezak/Barbara Bates/Elsa Lancaster/Gene Lockhart/Alan Hale
(5.7) My Dear Secretary (1949) - Kirk Douglas/Laraine Day/Keenan Wynn/Rudy Vallee/Alan Mowbray/Irene Ryan/Grady Sutton
(5.6) Road Show (1941) - Adolph Menjou/Carole Landis/John Hubbard/Charles Butterworth/Patsy Kelly/Margaret Roach (uncredited: Lane Chandler/Shemp Howard/William B. Williams
BONUS: Laughing Out Loud
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