Search - Without Reservations on DVD

"Hello, Miss Klotch. I brought you back your wings..."

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 05/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When I was in grade school and we lived in New Jersey there was a television station out of New York City that would show the same movie every afternoon for the entire week. There were two movies that I remember watching five afternoons in a row after school (or maybe it was during the summer). One was the Steve Reeve's 1962 film "The Trojan Horse" ("La Troia di Guerra") and the other was this 1946 comedy from director Mervyn LeRoy starring Claudette Colbert, John Wayne, and Don Defore. "Without Reservations" is based on the novel "Thanks, God! I'll Take It From Here" by Jane Allen and Mae Livingston. Colbert plays author Christopher "Kit" Madden who has written a best selling novel entitled "Here is Tomorrow." She ends up being a cross between Ayn Rand, in that her novel speaks to an idealized type of man, and Margaret Mitchell, in that she cannot find anybody in Hollywood who could possibly play Mark Winston, her hero, and has started a nation wide search for an unknown. However, when she hops on a train to travel from New York to Hollywood she gets bumped from her first-class accommodations and has to ride coach. She meets two traveling Army aviators, Rusty Thomas (Wayne) and his buddy Dink Watson (DeFore). Rusty is Mark Winston incarnate and Kit thinks he would be perfect for the role. But Rusty has no use for Hollywood (or "Here is Tomorrow") so Kit has to pretend she is somebody else and comes up with the last name of Klotch (this raises some eyebrows all around).This romantic comedy follows the trio as Kit tries to get Rusty to Hollywood. Of course she falls for him as they travel together and she has to keep scrambling to keep her identity a secret. One of my favorite scenes is where she goes into a liquor store and scores several bottles by convincing the owner she is Kit Madden by reciting the part of her book her is reading. Meanwhile he is convincing her that she really needs to rethink her idea of what a real man should be. When he finds out the truth, Rusty is not happy and Kit has to scramble to bring about the requisite happy ending. Overall this is a film whose chief virtue is its charm. You expect Colbert to be able to do romantic comedy, but Wayne's deftness has to surprise you a bit. Anne Triola steals several scenes as a "beetle" whose path keeps crossing that of the boys. Jack Benny has a nice cameo appearance as himself, seeking an autograph from Christopher Madden, and Miss Louella Parsons, Cary Grant, and Dolores Moran show up as themselves as well. LeRoy also does something interesting with the final shot, which is of Kit's bed while we hear the couple reconcile off-camera. I still catch this movie every time I stumble across it and while it is not a great romantic comedy it is still a nice little film that you should check out sometime when you stumble across it."

A hidden classic!

Michael L. Ellis | Chandler, Texas United States | 01/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie is a hidden classic and has to be one of John Wayne's more delightful roles. It also stars Claudette Colbert and Dan DeFore. You gotta see this one!"

Without Reservations

Gerald Hartman | 05/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Without Reservations
The Movie
This movie has obviously been influenced by Singing in the Rain, which isn't a bad thing. It takes the formula without of course the musical and runs with it 2 guys one gal the main guy falls for the girl she falls for him and yes it even rains on them go figure......lol. It's a story of a writer Christopher Madden who rights a book the book is bought to be made a movie. She boards a train and bam there the duke. From there the fun begins. This movie shows the lighter side of the duke which is always fun to watch.

The Video:
Made in 1944 it is black and white full frame. It's nothing spectacular. It could use a cleaning, but it watch able.

The Audio
Presented in 1.0 mono so it's and old movie that's not been updated.

The Extras
I Love My Husband But
A very Looney tunes episode like story about the different types of husbands and the wife who deal with them. I have no real idea why this is here. It was made in 1947 and Without Reservations was made in 1946 so I am not sure why it is here. It is silly and something to watch once.

Holiday for Shoestrings
This is the shoemaker and the elves story from Merrie Melodies that ran before this movie aired it is a charming cartoon. One that I am sure many of us have seen many many times a very nice addition to the collection.

Summary:
All in all a good picture nothing to go crazy over but as for a duke picture it's a nice ride for a couple of hours. The DVD is well done with nice menus and a couple of extras that make it a night at the movies.

"

Withour Reservations

Kathyrn J Todd | Illinois, USA | 05/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Very good. Funny. I would recommend this. Typical John Wayne. Not his western style but his army style."