Reviews

..certainly not one of their best, but ok in color and the musical numbers and songs hold up today. Ya gotta be a fan of Fred and Ginger to really like this one. Two sparring pardners is the story... and musical interludes...in pretty colors!. Period. That's pretty much it. But as an entertaining film with songs "You Cant Take That Away From Me"...and how about the "I Have Shoes With Wings"...the super-effects number as Fred has that magic dancing touch..and delivers. Again, not a super-musical. But a fun color musical with two of the best dancers the movies ever had.... and together again..

..since he is and has been an amateur magician, Curtis was perfect to portray Houdini, the master magician and above all.. the master escape artist! A beautiful technicolor film that has the atmosphere of vaudeville and showbiz of the day, it invokes the mystery of the great showman's lifestyle and his unusual death on Halloween. Janet Leigh,as Houdini's wife, Bess, adds to the fun... and for those that love magic and magicians, this will satisfy you. The early life, the escapes from ropes, chains and jail cells the world-over, from the icy waters of rivers and lakes, it is all here. Slicked up naturally not so much to educate us, but to entertain.. ...!

Red Skelton could entertain you just with his funny faces, clown like slap-stick pratfalls and knock=about comedy. He was at his best in this fast-action b/w feature that also had in a role as a henchman, great little stunt man, Dave Sharpe. (Watch the wonderful knocks and tumbles during the chase and fight scenes at the end..)And who indeed is the killer of this murder-mystery plot woven into the gags and bang-up routines? Many of the younger movie fans today will understand why Red was a favorite of so many back in the 4O's movies and then later on radio and then on TV,after viewing this one...

..The Fleischer Brothers in Florida wanted to establish an East Coast "Disney" Studio, so they turned out some fine shorts and even some cartoon-features ..Production and artwork at times, were very-very good. Though their best efforts may have been the 4O's Superman color cartoons, many fans believe"Gulliver" an excellent effort to try and match "Snow White"...and as a new cartoon-factory ..they almost did it with this feature. It had some memorable moments to see and songs to hum. This is a real Favorite ...FOR MANY....!

.".Arsenic and Old Lace"...was always a great Halloween favorite of mine, not only that it had a fun setting during Halloween, the falling leaves, you could hear scraping along on the sidewalk on the soundtrack,etc...the trick and treating of the kids at the door,..director Capra's realistic background detail touch for atmosphere.. again ..and then I wondered when it was offered Colorized..will that spoil the great black and white original....? Not at all! The process ADDS to the overall beauty of the film, and I noticed careful details of color added to tile around the fireplace scenes,, etc....Watch it carefully the next time in "color"..., and you will love it moreso..!! Indeed, it looks as if it WAS filmed in Techniclor..Those who say coloriziation ruins the original B/W feature-classics, evidently, have not seen this wonderful new format, of a great old favorite !(The Turner-MGM colorized release.)

..SGT.YORK...yeah, it was released during WW2,to help the war effort, but it was a true story of the backwoods young man who really did not want to to go to war..and kill others in combat, which at first got him in some trouble.... But, did become a true hero and earned an Oscar for star Gary Cooper. The BEST part of the movie is before..York is drafted and first decides to hide in the hills ...Ward Bond, Walter Brennen are just two favorites that play important roles. The beautiful outdoor scenes in wonderful black and white, in the first of the film is unforgettable along with the fun and realistic setting of York's pursuit of his future wife and a piece of farm land,and the troubles he encounters before...going to war. Another 194O's classic with a lot of heart and soul, along with lots of entertainment value!.

."The Lone Ranger"....with Lee Powell starring along with other "Rangers"& ,you do not know who really is the masked man, until the final chapter...! But there are great production sequences of action and suspense...throughout each episode. Republic Pictures Studio knew how to make the Serials that moved fast and offered realistic action. This 15-minute super-serial has been "lost" until now, and hard-core fan-collectors could only hope that a good original print could be found and offered to the public on Video.. now if only it could be colorized...and done correctly! But... It's a winner the way it still is today!

The press-book announced that " people died during the dangerous filming of this movie in the jungles of Brazil.." including ..monsters in the mysterious murky waters filled with man-eating beasts...t.he stars had their hands full of a giant and real snake, as that monster wraps around them to squeeze them to death,(and in reality almost did, during filming) and wild natives on the rampage indeed strike terror into the hearts and souls of all viewers. To me, it was a "sleeper" and a surprise adventure. Not popular when released it was usually found on a double-feature at a neighborhood theatre...try and find it on VHS,( if you can)..a movie, you will not soon forget,.. especially, the youthful grinning native in a leading role!!!!!

Probably one of the best movie Serials, with Dave O'Brien in the lead role...close to the classic radio serial...had great production. .it followed main characters and ..moved rapidly without too much padding in any episode. Great stunts, camera work, and each chapter ended with an exciting cliffhanger, that grabbed your attention and filled the viewer with suspense ,and wanting more. Enough to show up at next week's installment to learn what happened...the rousing musical score added to it all, Just recently released on VHS to the cheers of serious Serial fans..the world over.