48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
For kids of all ages, April 20, 2007
This review is from: Family 20 Movie Pack (DVD)
The FAMILY 20 MOVIE PACK is a treat for kids of all ages. These classic movies will never lose their appeal. If you'd like, go ahead and sing along with Abbott & Costello, Shirley Temple or Danny Kaye. Is high seas action what you prefer? Then be sure to check out "Captain Kidd" or "Long John Silver." For fans of great literature, there's also "Gulliver's Travels," "Jungle Book," "Little Lord Fauntleroy" and the Pied Piper. You'll even find some more modern family-oriented titles. All in all it's a great mix, at a great price!
COMEDY KINGS 20 MOVIE PACK is an excellent companion to this box set.
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Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.
(6.2) Africa Screams (1949) - Abbott & Costello/Clyde Beatty/Max Baer/Shemp Howard/Joe Besser
(6.5) The Borrowers (TV-1973) - Eddie Albert/Tammy Grimes/Judith Anderson
(6.3) Captain Kidd (1945) - Charles Laughton/Randolph Scott/Barbara Britton/John Carradine
(6.2) A Christmas Without Snow (TV-1980) - Michael Learned/John Houseman
(5.6) Coach Of The Year (TV-1980) - Robert Conrad/Erin Gray/Red West
(6.5) Father's Little Dividend (1951) - Spencer Tracy/Joan Bennett/Elizabeth Taylor/Billie Burke
(6.8) The Flying Deuces - Laurel & Hardy/Jean Parker/James Finlayson (in support)
(6.7) Gulliver's Travels (animated-1939) - vocals: Jessica Dragonette/Lanny Ross (Jack Mercer as Gabby
(6.8) The Inspector General (1949) - Danny Kaye/Walter Slezak/Elsa Lanchester/Alan Hale (in support)
(5.5) Jack And The Beanstalk (1952) - Bud Abbott/Lou Costello/Buddy Baer
(6.7) Jungle Book (1942) - Sabu/Rosemary DeCamp
(7.2) Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936) - Freddie Bartholomew/C. Aubrey Smith/Mickey Rooney
(7.1) The Little Princess (1939) - Shirley Temple/Cesar Romero/Arthur Treacher
(5.6) Long John Silver's Return To Treasure Island ("Long John Silver") (Australia-1954) - Robert Newton
(2.7) The Magic Sword (1962) - Basil Rathbone/Estelle Winwood/Gary Lockwood
(3.6) The New Adventures Of Heidi (TV-1978) - Burl Ives/Katy Kurtzman/John Gavin
(5.0) The Over-The-Hill Gang Rides Again (TV-1970) - Walter Brennan/Fred Astaire/Andy Devine
(5.9) The Over-The-Hill Gang (TV-1969) - Pat O'Brien/Walter Brennan/Gypsy Rose Lee
(6.0) The Pied Piper Of Hamelin (TV-1957) - Van Johnson/Claude Rains/Jim Backus
(6.1) The Son Of Monte Cristo (1940) - Louis Hayward/Joan Bennett/George Sanders/Clayton Moore (in support)
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This collection has something for everyone., March 22, 2011
This review is from: Family 20 Movie Pack (DVD)
All the movies in this collection are suitable for family viewing. You have some decent drama, action and a ton of comedy here for a pretty reasonable price. I wouldn't say that they are all "Classics" but they are all watchable and some are enjoyable enough to watch over and over again. I would actually rate this collection a 3.5 but I bumped it up to 4 stars because genuinely good family fare is tough to find. Here's a sample of what you get for your hard earned beans.
AFRICA SCREAMS: Abbott & Costello through a series of hijinx, are mistaken for African explorers and kidnapped by some goons and taken to Africa in search of some legendary lost diamonds. There is some funny slapstick here and appearances by Shemp Howard, lion tamer Clyde Beatty and a hilarious gorilla. The kids thought it was funny.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Robert Conrad plays a former Chicago Bear who is paralyzed during the Viet Nam War. He comes back to the states and decides to coach the football team at team at a juvenile correctional school. The kids lose their first game against a snooty prep school but once they accept Conrad the rally around him, work together and win the rematch. It's a well worn story for anyone over the age of 16 or so, but younger kids might find it inspirational.
A CHRISTMAS WITHOUT SNOW: This is an old fashioned Christmas movie about a divorced woman who joins a choir and is pushed to her limits by a challenging choir master. It's about faith and family and soul and features John Houseman giving his usual outstanding performance this time in the role of the demanding but understanding choir master.
THE MAGIC SWORD: A knight vows to rescue a princess from an evil wizard. You can't get more basic than that. It's a little corny and cheesy but also charming and kids will like it. It's also got Basil Rathbone who seems to enjoy his role as the evil wizard Lodac!
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HEIDI: Modern reworking of the Heidi story, here we have Heidi leaving the beautiful mountains of Switzerland to live with her cranky pants Grandfather in New York City. It was a nice try guys, but no dice.
THE OVER THE HILL GANG: This is a decent diversion for fans of classic Westerns. A retired Texas Ranger and his three aging pals are hired to clean up a lawless town. It features classic Western character actors like Jack Elam, Chill Wills, Walter Brennan and Edgar Buchanan. It feels more like a TV episode than a movie, but it's good to see this bunch of actors together.
FATHER'S LITTLE DIVIDEND: A young couple is having a baby and the parents and grandparents-to-be squabble about how to raise lil' Junior. It's been done over and over again but Spencer Tracey makes it worthwhile.
INSPECTOR GENERAL: Through a series of wacky coincidences 3rd rate con artist Danny Kaye is mistaken for a high level government official. He's rolling in clover until the real Inspector General shows up. It's not Kaye's very best, but any Danny Kaye is plenty good.
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK: Abbott and Costello tell their version of the classic kid's fairy tale. It's a pretty lavish production and reasonably funny, although the whippersnappers I watched it with thought it was a bit slow.
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