A bargain!
Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 09/18/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"MUSICALS CLASSICS 50 MOVIE PACK is a fine and varied collection of second-tier song-filled Hollywood productions, primarily from the 1940s. The special appeal of this set is the sheer volume of mostly forgotten musicals offered for exploration to all fans of this genre. Transfer quality varies from near pristine to merely ordinary. There's definitely filler but also enough real quality to make this set a true bargain for fans of musicals.
Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll ratings.
(4.8) All-American Co-Ed (1941) - Frances Langford/Noah Beery Jr./Harry Langdon
(5.8) The Big Show (1936) - Gene Autry/Smiley Burnette/Sons Of The Pioneers
(6.4) Black Tights (France-1960) - Cyd Charisse/Maurice Chevalier/Moira Shearer
(6.2) Breakfast In Hollywood (1946) - Bonita Granville/Beulah Bondi/Billie Burke
(6.1) Calendar Girl (1947) - Jane Frazee/William Marshall/Victor McLaglen
(6.2) Career Girl (1943) - Frances Langford/Edward Norris/Iris Adrian
(5.5) Check And Double Check (1930) - Freeman Gosden/Charles Correll/Duke Ellington orch.
(5.2) Dancing Pirate (1936) - Frank Morgan/Charles Collins/Rita Hayworth
(5.9) Delightfully Dangerous (1945) - Jane Powell/Ralph Bellamy/Arthur Treacher
(5.7) Dixiana (1930) - Bebe Daniels/Bert Wheeler/Robert Wolsey
(6.3) Doll Face (1945) - Vivian Blaine /Perry Como/Carmen Miranda
(5.3) The Duke Is Tops (1938) - Lena Horne/Ralph Cooper/Laurence Criney
(5.4) The Fabulous Dorseys (1947) -Tommy Dorsey/Jimmy Dorsey/Paul Whiteman
(5.0) Fiesta (1941) - Anne Ayars/Jorge Negrete/Armida
(6.3) Glorifying The American Girl (1929) - Eddie Cantor/Rudy Vallee/Noah Beery Jr.
(6.4) The Great Gabbo (1929) - Eric Von Stroheim/Betty Compson/Helen Kane
(5.8) Hi-De-Ho (1947) - Cab Calloway/Ida James/Jeni Le Gon
(7.3) Hi Diddle Diddle (1943) - Adolphe Menjou/Pola Negri/Billie Burke
(5.5) Jack And The Beanstalk (1952) - Bud Abbott/Lou Costello/Buddy Baer
(6.2) Killer Diller (1948) - Dusty Fletcher/Butterfly McQueen/King Cole Trio
(3.5) King Kelly Of The USA (1934) - Edgar Kennedy/Franklin Pangborn/Irene Ware
(6.1) Let's Go Collegiate (1941) Frankie Darro/Marcia Mae Jones/Mantan Moreland/Gale Storm
(6.2) Minstrel Man (1944) - Gladys George/Benny Fields/Bill Frawley
(5.1) Mr. Imperium (1951) - Lana Turner/Ezio Pinza/Debbie Reynolds
(5.4) Murder With Music (1941) - Alston/Nellie Hill/Bob Dillard/Noble Sissle
(5.9) Palooka (1934) - Jimmy Durante/Lupe Velez/Stuart Erwin
(5.2) Paradise In Harlem (1939) - Mamie Smith/Frank L. Wilson/Norman Astwood
(6.6) People Are Funny (1946) - Jack Haley/Rudy Valee/Ozzie Nelson/Art Linkletter
(6.0) The Pied Piper Of Hamelin (TV-1957) - Van Johnson/Claude Rains/Jim Backus
(5.7) Private Buckaroo (1942) - Andrews Sisters/Joe E. Lewis/Shemp Howard/Harry James
(5.9) Reaching For The Moon (1930) - Douglas Fairbanks/Bebe Daniels/Edward Everett Horton
(7.0) Reet, Petite And Gone (1947) - Louis Jordan/June Richmond/Milton Wood
(5.1) Rhythm And Blues Revue (1955) - Nat King Cole/Sarah Vaughn/Count Basie
(6.1) Rhythm In The Clouds (1937) - Patricia Ellis/Warren Hull/William Newell
(5.5) Road Show (1941) - Adolph Menjou/Carole Landis/Patsy Kelly
(5.7) The Road To Hollywood (1947) - Bing Crosby/Bud Pollard/Marion Sayers (in archive footage)
(4.9) Rock, Rock, Rock (1956) - Alan Freed/Tuesday Weld/The Moonglows/Chuck Berry
(5.1) Rock N' Roll Revue (1955) - Duke Ellington/Nat King Cole/Lionel Hampton
(6.6) Royal Wedding (1951) - Fred Astaire/Jane Powell/Peter Lawford
(5.8) Second Chorus (1940) - Fred Astaire/Paulette Goddard/Artie Shaw
(6.3) Sitting On The Moon (1936) - Grace Bradley/Roger Pryor/William Newell
(???) Soundies Cavalcade - Lena Horne/Teddy Wilson/Dusty Fletcher
(???) Soundies Festival - Ethel Waters/Eddy Green/Dusty Fletcher
(6.4) Stage Door Canteen (1943) - Kenny Baker/Tallulah Bankhead/Ray Bolger
(5.0) Sunny (1941) - Anna Neagle/Ray Bolger/Edward Everett Horton
(7.2) Swing Hostess (1944) - Martha Tilton/Iris Adrian/Charles Collins
(6.4) Till The Clouds Roll By (1946) - June Allyson/Judy Garland/Frank Sinatra/Van Heflin
(7.1) Trocadero (1944) - Rosemary Lane/Johnny Downs/Sheldon Leonard
(6.8) Up In The Air (1940) - Frankie Darro/Marjorie Reynolds/Mantan Moreland
(4.2) Wild Guitar (1962) - Arch Hall Jr./Nancy Czar/Arch Hall Sr."