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Official Synopsis:
Hit the Deck -
The sailors: Tony Martin, Vic Damone, Russ Tamblyn.
The cuties: Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Ann Miller.
The see-worthy fun, all set to memorable Vincent Youmans tunes.
Deep in my Heart -
Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Jane Powell, Jose Ferrer – talent runs deep in the musical biopic of piano man-turned Broadway icon Sigmund Romberg.
Kismet -
Howard Keel is the wily beggar-poet and Vincente Minnelli directs a glittery Arabian Nights’ dream of Stranger in Paradise, Baubles, Bangles, and Beads. And This is My Beloved and more.
Nancy Goes to Rio/Two Weeks with Love: Jane Powell 2-Disc Double Feature -
Stepping out! Nancy (Powell) and her Broadway-veteran mother (Ann Sothern) vie for the same stage role in South America. A Catskills vacation brings Ricardo Montalban to Powell and an Aba Daba Honeymoon to Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter.
Broadway Melody of 1935/Broadway Melody of 1938: Eleanor Powell 2-Disc Double Feature -
Starmakers! Eleanor Powell taps a spangled, career-breakthrough Broadway Rhythm in Melody of ’36 Oscar winner. Eleanor taps, Judy Garland sings Dear Mr. Gable (and is an overnight hit) and everyone’s off to the races in 1938’s tale of hoofing and horses.
Born to Dance/Lady be Good: Eleanor Powell 2-Disc Double Feature -
A girl (Powell), a gob (James Stewart) and Cole Porter songs. Includes Powell’s amazingly shipshape shipboard dance! An Oscar and Powell’s exuberant Fascinating Rhythm highlight a tale of careers on the rise and romance on the rocks.
Our Take:
Warner Brothers comes through for film musicals fans once more with Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3.
A plethora of musicals was pumped out of Hollywood back in the day and Warner Brothers continues its commendable effort to make as many as they can available on DVD. Their third trip back to the musicals vault gives us a whopping nine features to enjoy, with the highlights being one film each from musical auteurs Vincente Minnelli and Stanley Donen. Also, fans of Jane Powell and Eleanor Powell (no relation) will be overjoyed with the set as it contains four films starring each actress. With all the razzmatazz of these films, it’s easy to overlook their cinematic shortcomings, but if you’re in it for the spectacle and song and dance set pieces, you will not be disappointed.
Solely as a film, the most interesting one is the Vincente Minnelli directed Kismet. Kismet is a colorful fun romp through Baghdad. If that sentence sounds a bit funny given modern day politics, wait until you see the excellent musical number extolling how great it is to live in Baghdad. Suspension of disbelief or not, it was hard not to note the irony of what I was watching. Aiding the film are the excellent song arrangements that feature either Vic Damone (also in Hit the Deck) or Ann Blyth, whose voices simply transcend the film itself.
Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3 comes with the standard array of extras:
* Vintage Shorts.
* Classic Cartoons.
* Deleted/Alternate Musical Numbers.
* Audio Rediscoveries from the Vault.
Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3 is a must-buy for musicals enthusiasts. Those less inclined to enjoy anything less than musicals of the finest vintage (Singin’ in the Rain) may want to pass on the box set and perhaps just rent the couple of titles of interest as all the DVDs in the set have been released separately.
RECOMMENDED!
Overall Picture:
Movies (average): B
DVD set: B
- Matthew Orlando
Staff Writer
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