Product Details

• Actors: Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner, Walter Pidgeon, Van Johnson, Edward Arnold
• Directors: Robert Z. Leonard
• Format: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: MGM
• DVD Release Date: October 21, 2009
• Run Time: 130 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002TOL4EG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,281 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Weekend at the Waldorf" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Warner Bros. Digital Dist Release Date: 06/23/2011

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outshines the Original!, April 17, 2005

By 

Bobby Underwood "starlighthotel" (Manly NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Weekend at the Waldorf [VHS] (VHS Tape)

When MGM decided to remake its own "Grand Hotel" it pulled out all the stops. Vicky Baum's story of several people crossing paths is set at the lavish Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. MGM provided a glossy sheen and top stars like Ginger Rogers, Van Johnson and Lana Turner. The result is a more accessible movie than the original Garbo and Barrymore film, and Rober Z. Leonard takes the great cast through their paces quite nicely.

Ginger Rogers is the busy but lonely movie star Irene Malvern who, through a chain of circumstances believes war correspondent Chip Collier (Walter Pigeon) is her secretary's boyfriend and has come to steal her jewels. When Collier can't convince her otherwise he plays along to have some fun, creating an amusing circumstance in which they end up pretending to be married! There is charm and a lot of fun to their play romance which slowly blossoms into a very real romance. Both Rogers and Pigeon look like they're having great fun and work well together.

The second story involves a young and lovely Lana Turner as Bunny, the hotel stenographer who wants a penthouse kind of life. By chance she takes dictation from a doctor about an operation planned after the weekend on Captain James Hollis to remove shrap metal fragments from around his heart. Van Johnson has one of his best roles as the young Hollis, who may not survive without a reason to live. When he comes to Bunny to dictate his will, it is quite moving. Having lost his only friend overseas, and with no family remaining, he decides to leave his medals to his landlady, for her kindness. Johnson nearly breaks your heart here, and Bunny's too, who suddenly begins to falter in her determination to have Park Avenue.

The third connecting story involves a big businessman named Edly (Edward Arnold) attempting a shady oil deal with Sheiks that may not be good for the country. Colliers' bumbling protege Oliver (Keenan Wynn) seeks his help to get the story. Edly, of course, has his eye on Bunny and wants her to be his confidential secretary, which will give her the kind of life she's been after. Only now there is Captain Hollis. All these stories crisscross and at the beautiful Waldorf Astoria.

This is a very enjoyable film that will have you smiling a lot and laughing quite a bit. The rest of the time it tugs at your heart. Xavier Cugat has a nice turn as the Waldorf's bandleader and is involved in Hollis' story in a way I won't spoil for you. This is great entertainment from the glory days of MGM. This film has a luster that extends beyond what the eyes see and is a great film to add to your classic film collection.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great dialogue, lots o' fun, April 13, 2001

By 

E. Lambeth (Paso Robles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Weekend at the Waldorf [VHS] (VHS Tape)

It gets the highest review possible for being a movie that did exactly what it set out to do: Entertain me with great dialogue, mixed in with clever subplots intertwining each other.

I've never seen its original, "Grand Hotel". Since the original got a Best Picture award, you know where I'm going next.

Still, if you haven't seen Grand Hotel or Weekend at the Waldorf, I'll recommend watching this one first. This way, if Grand Hotel turns out being better, then you'll enjoy both movies.

Everybody in this movie gave great performances, and I was laughing throughout a lot of the movie.

It's definitely one of those movies that you'll wanna watch over and over.

Interesting note: If you've ever watched 30 Seconds Over Tokyo, you'll probably find it amusing that the main husband/wife characters in 30 Seconds over Tokyo are in this movie.

Anyways, go rent it, then come back here and buy it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A more comedic "re-imagining" of Grand Hotel, not a remake., August 20, 2009

By 

Grant Watson (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weekend at the Waldorf [VHS] (VHS Tape)

WEEK-END AT THE WALDORF (1945)

A very loose remake of GRAND HOTEL, schmaltzier and unabashedly romantic, more comedic, sillier, but I loved it. This is a really fun film with a great cast.

The film of course revolves around a weekend at the Waldorf-Astoria. Walter Pidgeon plays the exhausted foreign war correspondent with a case of "burn out" who just wants to sleep the entire weekend before he's sent overseas again (even going so far as hanging a "do not disturb" sign on the door in 7 different languages).

Ginger Rodgers plays the exhausted, overworked movie star at the Hotel for an old friends wedding and a big movie premiere.

Edward Arnold is the shady oil tycoon trying to close a deal that will help him corner the oil market after the war IF he can convince (or con) visiting Arab Prince George Zucco and keep former "thorn in his side" Pidgeon from gumming up the works.

Van Johnson plays a GI who must undergo a dangerous surgery that he may not survive unless, as his doctor tells him..."he can find something to live for". Enter Lana Turner. Hotel stenographer and notary public extraordinaire (and cute as a button!). Johnson goes to her to have his will notorized. Unbeknownst to Johnson, his doctor has dictated a letter to Turner who knows about his situation. Of course it's love at first sight. However...Turner has been offered a high paying job by Edward Arnold, and Lana...who's struggled to climb up the career ladder, hoping for bigger and better things, finds she must choose between love or success.

Pidgeon meanwhile, takes rather dense cub reporter Keenan Wynn under his wing to help him uncover the truth about Arnolds dirty dealings. In doing so...he accidentally runs into Ginger Rodgers, and in a funny case of mistaken identity, ends up spending the weekend on the couch in her hotel room. The two have some very funny and romantic scenes together. They have a great chemistry. They even manage to spoof a scene from Grand Hotel, when Pidgeon claims to be a Baron after her jewels. Rogders says "wait a minute...that's from Grand Hotel!" Funny stuff.

Also visiting the Waldorf for the weekend is Robert Benchley, staying at the hotel and worried sick about his Terrier who is on the verge of delivering puppies. Benchley also narrates the film and is his usually witty self. It's all great fun all the way through.

Ginger Rodgers wears some delightfully sexy gowns and manages to out "sexy" Lana Turner.

So...will the hilarious, cocky Walter Pidgeon melt the jaded Gingers Rodgers icy heart? Will Lana Turner choose the leering Edward Arnold and his lucrative job offer over her love for Van Johnson? Will Keenan Wynn uncover the truth about Arnolds schemes? Will Robert Benchleys Terrier have puppies?

All I can say is while you're waiting to find out how all these loose ends wrap up...you can listen to the wonderful music of Xavier Cugat and his delightful Waldorf-Astoria dancers!

Remember, this is a more comedic retelling of Grand Hotel. Almost a spoof actually. To get upset that this isn't as good as Grand Hotel or do some sort of scene by scene comparison to it would be simply ridiculous. They are two different movies and both are very entertaining.

The interior shots of the Hotel are great...and the film has some really crisp and beautiful cinematography. The movie clips along at a fast pace.

A really fun film. I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars.