Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some lesser known performances by the great Jack Lemmon, April 4, 2009
The five films that the other reviewer mentioned are accompanied by a bonus disc of yet undisclosed extra features. No box set has yet been dedicated to Jack Lemmon, and it is about time.
Don't judge this set by some of Sony's early ventures into classic films. I have some DVDs made by Sony early in this century that look like VHS transfers or something that was projected against a bedsheet. However, Sony has begun to turn the corner with such outstanding entries as theThe Cary Grant Box Set (Holiday / Only Angels Have Wings / The Talk of the Town / His Girl Friday / The Awful Truth).
1954's Phffft has the great chemistry of Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon in a film that examines how you deal with somebody that gets on your nerves yet is in your blood at the same time. Jack Carson plays his usual bad influence part as Lemmon's friend.
I haven't seen Operation Madball in years. As I remember, it was no Mister Roberts, but it had a madcap air about it as a bunch of servicemen compete for the attention of only a few nurses. I particularly remember a piece of dark humor not typical for 50's comedies in which Jack Lemmon tries to convince one of the other servicemen that he buried a man alive.
"The Notorious Landlady" is another one that I haven't seen in years. I have to admit I remember it more because of Fred Astaire than Jack Lemmon. It was one of his roles after he ceased being a purely musical talent. Jack Lemmon plays an American who rents a room in London when his job brings him there. However, not until he has signed the lease and begun to fall in love with the landlady (Kim Novak) does he find out that everyone including the authorities believe that she has killed her husband. However a body has never been found, and this has caused her to be ostracized, but not arrested. Plus there are plenty of mysterious goings on in the house in the middle of the night. It is a kind of "The Lodger" in reverse.
"Under the Yum Yum Tree" IMHO, is quite a bust. Jack Lemmon plays the leacherous type in several films and does it well. However, this is usually because underneath his actions is some virtue just waiting to get out. The person he plays here has no depth, just a desire for more female conquest. It is a so-called comedy about Lemmon's character making play after play for a woman who is living with her boyfriend in a trial marriage without s ex. I guess one bad film out of five isn't bad.
"Good Neighbor Sam" is the kind of part Jack Lemmon usually did so well under the direction of Billy Wilder - a good guy caught up in larger events that forces him into ridiculous actions in hilarious situations. Here Jack plays a family man who hates his job. However, he wins a promotion based on the fact that the boss wants a well-behaved family man in the job and Jack is the only guy in the company that fits the bill. This is complicated when his wife's friend inherits fifteen million - if she is married. A funny turn of events has Jack playing the heiress' husband to the other potential heirs, who are keeping a solid eye on the situation and Jack, at the same time he is trying to not look like a two-timer to his boss.
Four out of five of these films are definite keepers, plus there is the bonus disc. This set is probably 4.5 out of 5, but I'm rounding it up to a five.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
GOOD NEIGHBOR SAM...CLASSIC JACK LEMMON!! HILARIOUS! FOUR STARS!, June 12, 2009
MR. JACK LEMMON: The man is a CLASSIC!
Best two flics here, in my opinion are GOOD NEIGHBOR SAM -
and UNDER THE YUM-YUM TREE. My question is, why are we forced to buy a whole set of movies if we just prefer certain ones? This seems to be a
bit unfair. It would be nice to be able to order the two flics I
mentioned above. Come on, COLUMBIA, dont force us to buy films we dont want. Please be so kind and release some of these flics Seperately!!
( GOOD NEIGHBOR SAM is the best flic here. HILARIOUS! CLASSIC LEMMON!)
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Delightful Lemmon Comedies that are Sure to Entertain!, September 7, 2009
This box set releases five Jack Lemmon films for first time ever on DVD, and for some of them, the first time ever in a home media format period.
Let me start by saying thanks to Sony for getting this one right. Sony has in the past put out some shoddy DVD's and sets, but this one is on the same level as Sony's The Cary Grant Box Set (Holiday / Only Angels Have Wings / The Talk of the Town / His Girl Friday / The Awful Truth) and The Premiere Frank Capra Collection (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington / It Happened One Night / You Can't Take It with You / Mr. Deeds Goes to Town / American Madness / Frank Capra's American Dream). The packaging itself is compact and practical, as the five movies and bonus discs are held in a relatively slim fold out box set case. The design itself is also very appealing. The case and DVD's are themed in blues and browns, and the the fold out part of the set has two large portraits of Lemmon. Also, the DVD's are in clear plastic holders allowing you to look behind each DVD to see a poster and picture matching that particular movie. Overall, five stars for the box itself as it is sturdy, compact and attractive.
One of my minor quibbles concerns the title menus of each disc. Each movie is clearly labeled with the title and disc number, however, the tile menu displays do not match the disc numbers. For instance, my "Operation Mad Ball" is labeled on the disc as disc two but on the title menu it says disc five. I am not sure if this is a problem specific to my set or if all the sets are like that. However, it really doesn't make any difference as it is just a pointless disc number and since all my discs have the correct movies and corresponding movie labels. The title menus are all very similar and professionally done, though if not a bit lackluster. But once again, nothing really to actually complain about. The one thing I did find quite interesting was that all the movies were divided into 12 scenes; consequently the 130 min long "Good Neighbor Sam" has a lot longer scenes then the 88 min "Phfft!" Once again, not really an issue, but worth noting in case you have to stop a movie and do scene select. As far as the quality of the transfers themselves, the films all have great image and sound quality. I have a widescreen LCD TV and all of the movies looked quite nicely on it, especially with the 1.85:1 anamorphic aspect ratio. So, for the the production quality of the set, it gets four stars due to the minor disc mislabeling problem.
Now, the movies themselves are all fun and entertaining, and I would watch all of them again with the possible exception of "Operation Mad Ball." "Phfft!" is a great 50's comedy with Judy Holliday and Kim Novak and revolves around a divorcing couple. The script was pretty witty, and there was a great dance scene with Lemmon and Holliday. I found "Operation Mad Ball" to be the least enjoyable of the five as it seemed short on humor as well as short on everything else. There were of course some good moments, but I am not sure if I would ever really watch it again. "The Notorious Lady" also stars Kim Novak, as well as Fred Astaire, and was one of my favorites in this bunch even if the tone of the story jumps from mysterious to dramatic to madcap antics. Next is "Under the Yum Yum Tree" which may be a bit dated as an over-the-top 60's "sex comedy," but it still was enjoyable and I got quite a bit of laughs from the "unique" character that Lemmon plays. "Good Neighbor Sam" is the final film, and in my opinion, the best. It is a wonderfully fun and original story with a bit of kitschy wife swapping mixed in, and to top it off, Edward G. Robinson makes a much appreciated appearance as Lemmon's boss. Some might label these films as sub-par Lemmon, which they might be compared to some of his collaborations with Billy Wilder, but they definitely get a five star rating from me.
The set also has a bonus disc with a 45 min documentary on Jack Lemmon that touches a little on the films in the set. There is also the obligatory original theatrical trailers as well as an episode of Ford All-Star Theatre starring Lemmon and Ida Lupino on the "Phfft!" disc. Considering we are lucky to have these films even released on DVD at all, and knowing Sony, I was surprised there was any extras at all let alone a full length documentary on Lemmon. 5 stars for the extras.
This a great set, and one definitely worth owning. I would highly recommend this to people who aren't too familiar with Jack Lemmon as this set definitely made a fan out of me. And for the Lemmon fans out there, there is no way you can not add this excellent set to your collection!
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