Search - Fred Astaire Signature Collection on DVD

Public domain copies of two films

calvinnme | 07/29/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There are a host of these "Signature Collections" coming out for about four dollars. They are probably trying to trade on the name of the Warner Home Video Signature Collections. Let me assure you these are entirely two different animals. These are all public domain copies of two films by the featured star, and sometimes they are made-for-TV movies. This particular collection offers public domain copies of "Royal Wedding" and "Second Chorus". These are both good films and they have weathered distribution in the public domain very well as far as video and audio quality go.

"Royal Wedding" is the musical with the famous number where Astaire dances on the ceiling of his hotel room while he and his sister are performing in London at the time of the wedding of then Princess Elizabeth to Prince Phillip. "Second Chorus" has the unlikely pairing of Fred Astaire with Burgess Meredith as a couple of trumpet players competing for the affection of Paulette Goddard. It is also a pretty good film with the exception of the presence of the extremely unfunny Charles Butterworth.

Warner Home Video just got through rescuing Royal Wedding from the public domain and has cleaned it up quite a bit. It now resides in their very recently released "Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory Volume 2". You can also buy it separately with the same high quality as a double feature with "The Belle of New York". However, if you are happy enough with public domain copies you might want to try the "Musicals Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection". That package has these two films plus quite a few other interesting musicals in it for between ten and twenty dollars depending on where and how you purchase it. Some are definitely turkeys, but I think you definitely get your money's worth."

Fred Astaire collection

Nancy E. Strubbe | 02/04/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Not the greatest collection, especially the last movie---a western, couldnt wait till it was over."

Fred Dances on the ceiling

Craig During | Long Beach, CA United States | 09/08/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Once upon a time an ordinary looking guy made millions of American enjoy the act of dancing in film. Fred Astair was no pansy - the dances were incredibly difficult yet he made them appear so easy. Dancing with a hat rack and cavorting on the ceiling are STILL so entertaining. Actually, these are the ONLY reasons to see "Royal Wedding".

The second film on this disk is somewhat enjoyable - "Second Chorus" unites Fred with Burgess Meredith (!) in their pursuit of Paulette Goodard, and a job with Artie Shaw. A simple dance number with Miss Goddard is mildly amusing, but the comic interplay is more enjoyable."