Search - If I'm Lucky on DVD


If I'm Lucky
If I'm Lucky
Actors: Vivian Blaine, Edgar Buchanan, Harry V. Cheshire, Perry Como, Frank Ferguson
Director: Lewis Seiler
Genres: Musicals & Performing Arts
NR     2008     1hr 19min

Genre: Musicals Rating: NR Release Date: 17-JUN-2008 Media Type: DVD

     
?

Larger Image

Movie Details

Actors: Vivian Blaine, Edgar Buchanan, Harry V. Cheshire, Perry Como, Frank Ferguson
Director: Lewis Seiler
Genres: Musicals & Performing Arts
Sub-Genres: Musicals
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Format: DVD - Black and White,Full Screen - Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 06/17/2008
Original Release Date: 01/01/1944
Theatrical Release Date: 01/01/1944
Release Year: 2008
Run Time: 1hr 19min
Screens: Black and White,Full Screen
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 1
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Similar Movies

Greenwich Village
1
   NR   2008   1hr 22min
Doll Face
1
   NR   2008   1hr 20min
Song Is Born
1948
3
   NR   2009
For Me and My Gal
Keepcase
   NR   2006   1hr 44min

Similarly Requested DVDs

Green Lantern First Flight
Single-Disc Edition
   PG-13   2009   1hr 17min
   
The Adventures of Tintin
Director: Steven Spielberg
   PG   1hr 47min
   
The Other Guys
Director: Adam McKay
   UR   2010   1hr 47min
   
Grown Ups 2
+UltraViolet Digital Copy
Director: Dennis Dugan
   1hr 41min
   
Gigantic
Director: Matt Aselton
   R   2009   1hr 38min
   
Blade of Kings Bluray/DVD Combo
Directors: Patrick Leung, Corey Yuen
4
   UR   2012   1hr 46min
   
BASEketball
   R   1998   1hr 43min
   
 

Movie Reviews

Brilliant transfer at last!
M. A. Dunnington | Stourbridge, West Midlands United Kingdom | 06/24/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is how films should be re-released. This is a quality transfer of both vision and sound. A bonus feature is to isolated the soundtrack - oh boy do you get a sound that is so great!!!! The quality feels like they just recorded it today!!! Thank you 20th Century Fox for a truly magnificent release - a bonus for the Como fans!!!!!!"
If I'm Lucky-not the sum of its' parts!
Robert Badgley | London,Ontario,Canada | 01/28/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)

"If I'm Lucky is a good musical,typical of the period and should have been much better than it was considering the talent involved but it unfortunately suffers from a tepid plot that the cast just can't overcome.
The story involves a band that is unemployed and is summoned by their former manager(Phil Silvers) with the lure of a job that never pans out.They're starving and decide to go across the road for a free meal supplied by a political candidate McGonnagle(Edgar Buchanan),running for governor.McGonnagle tries to give a speech but the crowd is more interested in the meal than him,so he decides to cut the chow and the crowd gets a little upset.The band decides to kick things into action and plays to lure the crowd to the podium area to hear the wanna be governor.It works and McGonnagle is so impressed he hires them to travel with him throughout the campaign.Perry Como enters the picture as a wanna be singer,gets an audition and joins the band intially as the carrier of Carmen Mirandas' harp(!),a job Silvers is delighted to pawn off to this unsuspecting mug.Miranda however intervenes and Silvers ends up with his job back toute suite.Everything goes along well until McGonnagle gets a little too honest for his crooked backers.They threaten to expose him if he doesn't back down and,for his stubborness, he is fired from the [...] who is given the job reluctantly,takes his place and eventually he learns who is really pulling the strings.Como had initially figured he'd lose by a landslide but instead it appears he will win by one.When he tries to pull out he is threatened also.While giving his final campaign speech he makes the gutsy move of revealing the truth and the men responsible for the corruption in the state.In the end the public vote him in anyways and all live happily ever after.
It's a plot I think many of us have seen time and again(the little guys being duped by the corrupt politicos)but this time it's just repackaged for a musical,and not very well at that.It plods along and by the 60 minute mark you start looking for the ending.Harry James himself is an integral part of the story as he acts and sings,along with his usual playing duties with his Music Makers.This is James in his musical prime and is wonderful to see his great technical ability on display.Carmen Miranda again is a pure delight as always and her only strictly Brazillian number is the Batacuda,which she shares with James.It is a big production number with a great number of male and female chorines strutting their "samba" stuff.Vivian Blaine does her usual nice job in all her acting and musical chores.Phil Silvers also comes through with flying colours but unlike"Something For The Boys" gets little to showcase his abilities in the comedy department.Perry Como of course gets more than a few chances to showcase his singing but his acting as always is just a shade shy of stiff.The music is spread throughout the cast as solo,duo and trio spots or for the entire group."If I'm Lucky" is the title and main tune in this picture and is a very nice number but it verges on overplay we hear it so much.
The verdict in the technical department is the best thing of this DVD.This movie is a black and white marvel and is stunningly crisp.20th Century Fox has done a marvellous transfer job with this picture.Included with the picture is the trailer,a stills gallery and a delighful excerpt from the series of "Army/Navy-Sing with the Stars" shorts produced by Fox during the war for the servicemen.It features Carmen Miranda singing her hit "I Yi,Yi,Yi,Yi,I Like you very Much" ,then a sing along portion for the spectators,with words and a bouncing ball to follow.It's a wonderful little rare gem of film footage and a very welcome addition to this DVD.
In concluding I can honestly find no way to give this movie more than the three stars I have;in fact some might find that more generous than it should be.But with the wonderful crisp transfer and the delightful extra film excerpt I will stand by my rating.The movie itself is unfortunately not as good as it should have been considering it's stars but it was a good enough and decent time waster and money maker for 1946.If you don't expect too much then you might get some modicum of enjoyment out of it."
IF I'M LUCKY
TICOOO | Boston, MA | 07/16/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is another post-war B&W Musical from FOX. It was intended to showcase the talents of PERRY COMO and VIVIAN BLAINE, but of course CARMEN MIRANDA steals the show. The political plot is boring but within the story is some very nice tunes. Carmen has three musical numbers one of which is a SHOW STOPPER. It is called "THE BATUCADA", here she performs in a magnificent production number designed to be presented in B&W. Artist and Costume Designer SHASHA BRASTOFF created a costume for Carmen that was mostly made up of white shredded plastic. The lighting in this number is awesome thanks to a great set designer and costumer, plus the terrific transfer of this film makes it worth the price of this disc alone. A 'MUST HAVE for the CARMEN MIRANDA COLLECTOR. It can be purchased separately or as part of the new 5 disc CARMEN MIRANDA COLLECTION. Extras include stills and promo."