Customer Reviews

Top Banana [VHS]

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This film version of the hit Broadway comedy came out when producers were trying to lure the public away from television and into the theaters. CinemaScope, Cinerama, 3-D, and other novelties were introduced. "Top Banana" offered its own new twist: it was an exact replica of a Broadway play at moviehouse prices. So the film is deliberately stagey, with veteran film director Alfred E. Green at the helm. Phil Silvers is virtually the whole show, as a self-centered TV comedian who depends on his beleaguered writers and stooges -- to keep his "real life" patter charming and amusing, and to keep his hectic schedule on track. Silvers's patented machine-gun delivery is hilarious (watch for a burlesque scene where he wears a ridiculous toupee and serenades a group of bored chorus girls). There are some clever songs (with Johnny Mercer lyrics), and strong support from Rose Marie, Jack Albertson, and burlesque veterans Joey Faye and Herbie Faye (no relation). (Herbie and Phil went way back, and Herbie was featured in the "Bilko" TV series). The movie was filmed in an inexpensive but effective color process; the video edition is missing a little footage (the old black-and-white TV prints ran a little longer) but it shouldn't matter much. The technical quality is very good. A good show for Broadway buffs and especially for Phil Silvers fans.

This is the only movie of a Broadway musical filmed as an audience would view it from a seat in the theatre. The VHS is considerably shorter than the original show which ran about two and a half hours. The movie was made in Hollywood, though there is a shot of a real audience in a real theatre. It was filmed at the end of the national tour of the Broadway company. The original sets and props were used to create the stage exactly as it looked had you seen the show at the Winter Garden in NYC. The VHS leaves out "Flash Hogan," the singing dog and other "acts" that were part of the TV show within the show. The full length Broadway show made the storyline a little more clear. Actually, the earliest film was complete but was cut when it played on TV. I recommend this to Phil Silvers buffs and to musical theatre history teachers as well as those who enjoy looking back at the way things were. The information in this review was gained first hand. I was a singer in the show and I'm the brunette on the cover of the box!

TOP BANANA was an interesting experimental project...a stage play shot in color and 3-D in an attempt to recreate the experience of seeing a Broadway show from the front row for the moviegoer.

I don't think the film was ever released in 3-D format, though, as the film was released after CinemaScope had won over Hollywood. Reportedly the 3-D elements are likely lost forever, though a few 3-D clips survive. That's a shame.

Watching it flat the camera angles seem a bit odd and static, certainly something not helped by the loss of the intended stereoscopic aspect. The VHS isn't complete either. Obviously an edited and modified flat presentation on VHS isn't an ideal way to see a movie intended for 3-D theatrical showings.

It is rare for a film to preserve a hit Broadway musical intact. Moreover, it is even more rare for them to do it with the entire Broadway cast. Not only has this been done with Top Banana (although some would argue that there are more deserving shows)it has been done as a record of the actual stage performance because it was filmed in the actual theatre (the Winter Garden where Cats had its record-breaking run) in front of an audience. We are so fortunate to have this record of one of Phil Silver's greatest triumphs (he won a Tony award for it). He is nothing but brilliant in his ability to make us laugh. We also now have a reliable record of classic Vaudeville performances by the people who made the routines famous. As icing on the cake there is lovely Rose Marie in her pre Dick Van Dyke Show days singing some great Mercer music. The only problem I find with the transfer is that it is not letterboxed which causes some unfortunate panning and scanning choices.....perhaps if the DVD comes out that will not be an issue. Have fun....watch....laugh....enjoy..and remember the masters.

There are two excellent reasons for watching this filmed Broadway stage show that stars Phil Silvers as Jerry Biffle, the headliner of a popular television comedy show (and patterned after Milton Berle). First, there's the rare chance to see Phil Silvers in prime, ego-driven form. Jerry Biffle is a great comedian. He also has an ego as big as a brachiosaurus. He's a whistle-blowing, finger-snapping terror who runs every aspect of his show and tries to run every aspect of the people who work for him. He needs jokes like a starving man needs manna. He can punch home a one liner as hard as Rocky Marciano. He's loud, aggressive and funny. The second reason is to watch Silvers work with a collection of second bananas who, like Silvers, cut their low-comedy teeth working years in burlesque. There's Jack Albertson as Biffle's head writer, Joey Faye as a gofer and Herbie Faye as a barber. The extended routine the four of them do to demonstrate what it takes to get to be a top banana is worth the price of the VHS tape. It's done to Johnny Mercer's "Top Banana" song and features prat falls, double and triple takes, corny jokes, wheezing routines and seltzer water down the pants, all done fast, loud and with split-second timing.

The story is just a hook to hang Silvers' performance on. Jerry Biffle's show is starting to slide in the ratings. The pressure is on, so two young singers, Sally Peters (Judy Lynn) and Cliff Lane (Danny Scholl) are added for love interest. They fall for each other but Biffle falls for Sally, too. Then there's Sally's roommate, the wise-cracking and earnest Betty Dillon (Rose Marie). She falls for Jerry. It all works out with minimum interruption to Silvers' performance. By the end of the show we've almost forgotten there was any romance to begin with. Johnny Mercer wrote the songs, music as well as lyrics. The comedy numbers are great, the swinging numbers are fine. The couple of serious romantic numbers are just so-so.

Sure, the movie is static. Basically, cameras were stationed in front of the stage sets and the players did their stuff. However, great chunks were edited out, including almost all of Rose Marie's part (she is second billed) including nearly all of her songs. In fact, of the 14 songs in the score, only seven survived. The two production numbers that made the cut, unfortunately, are pretty awful. The full Broadway score is still available on CD. On it you'll hear two cut numbers that I wish had survived: "I Fought Every Inch of the Way," a clever, slightly sardonic song about love sung by Rose Marie and "Word a Day," a jauntily literate song about improving a person's vocabulary sung by Rose Marie and Silvers.

The show is all about Jerry Biffle and depends entirely on Phil Silvers' roaring, inflated and even touching performance. For those who only remember Silvers in his Sergeant Bilko role or as the comic relief in such films as Cover Girl and Summer Stock, his performance here might cause a re-evaluation. He was a classic low comedian who could be overpowering. Yet unlike some, he also managed to show some believable vulnerability that made him genuinely likable. What he was able to do could only have been achieved by big talent and years of honing his craft in burlesque. Watch him in the second great low-comedy set piece. He and a flunky have gone to Sally Peters' rooming house to help her elope. They realize a small man (Johnny Trama) with a pork-pie hat and a dead-pan face is observing them. Before long they're deep into a classic burlesque routine where the small man's hands stick to everything he touches, including the other men's hands and various parts of Silvers' anatomy. First two and then the three of them are twisting, contorting, turning and stepping over and under trying to get loose of each other. It's a great routine that requires the three to know exactly what they're doing. Trama makes the routine work but Silvers makes it funny.

The VHS tape is watchable but is by no means a good transfer. I can't see anyone making a DVD out of this artifact, or even spending the money to produce more tapes, so better get it while you can. For fans of Phil Silvers and low comedy routines from burlesque, you'll want this.

I was looking forward to viewing the Broadway show "Top Banana" on DVD because I had missed it at live theatre. What a disappointing DVD. The sound and visual quality was poor, and some premiere songs were left out. This was supposedly recorded from the stage version, but when the actors took their bows, there was no audience applause, which was eery. Whom were they bowing to? All in all, a waste of money. Saw it once and gave it to the charity pile.

Should you buy or watch this film? If you are a theater, film or Silvers buff, then yes. Otherwise you may not like it.
This was not filmed like South Pacific. This was an attempt to film a hit play as it was on stage. Plus,
they shot it in 3-D!
Before they released Top Banana most of the songs were cut (including the best tune, A Word A Day). They cut the 3-D idea.
Still, it's great that this and the cast LP exsist! This show was a big hit. It ran on B'way for over 350 shows. Phil Slivers was great in it. The audience understood
that it was a bash on Milton Berle. This launched Silver's career into high gear.
If you think that Phil is doing Bilko here, realize that this was BEFORE Bilko. Silver's fans
will love his performance (though he later said that he wasn't his best Top Banana performance. He was unhappy about the low production values and
the 3-D idea. He was right). By the way, they didn't have an audience. This too was a great mistake!
The film was shot during the play's run in LA. The story isn't as good as the complete play. Both the picture and audio have problems. The lighting is often off (and what a flat look much of the film has). But for the most part, the color is pretty good.

Rose Marie's part is, sadly, much smaller here. Too bad because she always knocked 'em dead. Silvers asked her to leave LA and come to NY to do this part!
She did it for him. He is the star, but Rosie is the second banana. Most of her role was cut along with her songs.

Still, for historical purposes, we should be pleased that this film exsists. The pace may seem a bit slow but this was 1952 and it was shot in a very odd manner.

I liked this movie it was funny and cute. This is a grate movie it is a must see.