Description

In TEACHER’S PET, film legend Clark Gable stars as Jim Gannon, a school-of-hard-knocks newspaperman who despises journalism schools... until he sees who's doing the teaching. Attracted to lovely professor Erica Stone (Day), he masquerades as a novice in her class. Soon he's her prize pupil, all the while trying to make her his own prize. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

NOT A PET FAVORITE
Doris! The perky big band singer of whom Oscar Levant once quipped "I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin." I thought back to my visit to Carmel, California, a few years ago, where I dropped by the golf course to glimpse her house ...briefly visible from hole three. (Listen real carefully and you can hear her dogs barking.) I thought back to my beloved Great Dane, she with the baby blue eyes --- was named in honor of Doris, though Dory (for short) was actually named by the breeder from whom I purchased the 186-pound beauty.
And I thought back to the first (and only time) I had chatted with Doris Day. It was the January 28, 1986 --- the day the Challenger had exploded, killing her seven crew members (including Sharon Christa McAuliffe, America's first teacher in space), 73 seconds after launch.
I called Doris at her Carmel, California, home, and was in tears.
"Can you believe what happened," she asked her voice muffled and mournful. "I am so shocked. Those poor men and women. Their families ... the children ..." The tears flowed freely for several minutes. She cried. I cried. We both cried. This, I thought between tears, is going to be some challenge.
After a few minutes, she sniffled one last time. And so we began to chat about her life and loves and long career --- Doris was starting a new talk show, and Rock Hudson --- then so deadly sick with the AIDS virus --- was the first guest), her films, her music and of course, her animals. She told me how she cooked her own dog food, steaming rice and boiling chopped beef, then skimming off the fat, before blending in freshly cooked vegetables and a hint of spice. At the end of the conversation, I was salivating and ready to drop to all fours and beg for a taste.
As luck would have it, I am not the only one thinking about Doris Day these days. Paramount Home Video has just released Teacher's Pet, the 1958 comedy in which Clark Gable stars as a hard-nosed newspaperman who's smitten with journalism teacher DD. Not a great film --- gee, did Gable really so badly? --- though the title song is super, as is Mamie van Doren, as Gable's galpal who sings "The Girl Who Invented Rock and Roll." A better flick is Day's last one: With Six You Get Eggroll, also from Paramount Home Video,the 1968 blended family comedy, with Day solidly supported by Pat Carroll, as well as Alice Ghostley, George Carlin, Barbara Hershey, Jamie Farr and the once-hot rock group, The Grass Roots.
Warner Home Video has just released the box set, Doris Day Collection, a slipcased collectible featuring six new-to-DVD titles: Young Man With a Horn (1950), Lullaby of Broadway (1951), Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1962), The Glass Bottom Boat (1966) and newly restored versions of Love Me Or Leave Me (1955) and Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962)--- both of which feature new Dolby Digital soundtracks making Doris seem as fresh as, well, a new Day; along with Calamity Jane (1953) and The Pajama Game (1957), both of which have been repackaged for this collection. All the discs are packed with bonus features, including vintage shorts (including two starring Ruth Etting, whom Day portrays in Love Me or Leave Me), featurettes, cartoons and trailers.
But the best is saved for last. On June 28, MPI Media Group unveils the long-awaited The Doris Day Show: Season 1, the heart-warming comedy series that ran on CBS from 1968-1973. This was Day's TV series debut, and she proved that her big-screen likeability transferred, quite well thank you, to the small screen ... even if some of closer-ups seem a bit too gauzy for our tastes. Day played Doris Martin, a widowed mother who leaves the city to raise her two young sons on the Mill Valley, California farm of her father Buck, played by Dukes of Hazzard icon Denver Pyle. The four-disc box set includes all 28 original episodes from the show's first season, as well as never-before-seen bonus material.The bonuses offer additional insight into Day's warm, off-screen persona: there are TV promos and messages to network affiliates, as well as her two appearances as the "mystery guest" on What's My Line --- the first spot, from 1954, marked Day's TV debut, and her attempts to disguise her voice through a series of hi-pitched squeaks is a sheer delight.

This movie should stay after class and clean the erasers.
There's nothing like a good Mamie Van Doren movie, and this is nothing like a good Mamie Van Doren movie. Now I love Mamie, I'm passionate about Doris, and no girl with a pulse can keep her eyes off of Clark Gable and his potato ears, but I'd think twice before watching this boring thing. Not even Mamie's
Richter-scale sex appeal can liven up this dud. I'd suggest the vastly superior "Pillow Talk," "High School Confidential," "His Girl Friday," or even the sub-par but tasty "Thrill of it All." Skip this one.

Entertaining comic 'Battle of the Sexes'!
"Teacher's Pet" is a deliciously funny look at journalism, and the clash between 'formal' education vs. practical experience, with higher learning championed by Doris Day, and the 'School of Hard Knocks' represented by the 'King', himself, Clark Gable. Despite an obvious age difference (Gable, at 57, was showing all of his years), the chemistry between the stars is electric, and with Oscar-nominated Gig Young providing terrific comic support as Gable's brilliant yet down-to-earth competition for Day, the film manages to be both witty and wise.

With over a quarter century of playing newspapermen, the role of hard-boiled City Editor Jim Gannon fit Clark Gable like an old shoe. No-nonsense, pragmatic, and a workaholic, Gannon was the classic 'school drop-out' who learned the newspaper business from the ground up, and held college in contempt. While Gannon was obviously a dinosaur, even by 1950s' standards, Gable appears to be having a ball as the cigarette-smoking, plain-spoken, 'blue-collar' hero.

Despite the constant "Will she or Won't she?" sexual undercurrent of so many of her best comedies of the fifties and early sixties, Doris Day was also a feminist during the era, with her characters self-sufficient, and often holding down important positions based on merit. As Erica Stone, an ex-reporter who returns to college to teach journalism, her demeanor is professional and her knowledge unimpeachable, making her the perfect foil for Gannon.

While the descriptions of Gannon and Stone sound like formula characters for Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (not surprisingly, as the script was penned by longtime friends Fay and Michael Kanin), the Gable/Day teaming provides a sexual tension that, by the late 1950s, would have been far less apparent had Tracy and Hepburn taken the roles. Even at the twilight of his career, Gable was so totally 'male' that he raised the bar of any actress opposite him, with Day's signature 'perkiness' transformed, here, into sexual potential in a tight skirt (watch her tease Gable, swaying her hips to "The Girl Who Invented Rock and Roll"; Day has never been sexier!)

While the resolution is not surprising, some remarkably candid observations of what makes good print journalism are given by both Day and Gable, with Day's comment of television replacing newspapers as the public's source for breaking news remarkably farsighted in 1958!

If you want a terrific comedy with two stars at the top of their game, look no further; "Teacher's Pet" delivers!

GABLE&DAYSCOREINGOODCOMEDY.....
Hard-as-nails, uneducated city news editor Jim Gannon (Clark Gable) sits in on a journalism class by teacher Erica Stone (Doris Day) and falls for her. Trouble is, he's posing as Jim Gallagher---a new student, because he had crassly rejected her offer to speak to her class on, what else, journalism. He has a hard nose against education since he never finished high school and believes that experience is the best teacher. She is amazed at his skill and offers to tutor him, unaware of his ruse. Complications arise from a colleague of Stone's, Hugo Pine (Gig Young) who's a world class scholar on everything. Mamie van Doren is in an all too brief role as Peggy DeVore, Gannon's girlfriend who sings at the Bongo Club and performs "The Girl Who Invented Rock & Roll". She's very funny and holds her own with Gable in the equally funny night club scene. This b&w 1958 film (scripted by Fay & Michael Kanin) has much to say on honesty and truth in journalism but also scores points on experience as well. The chemistry between Gable and Day is near perfect. Young is quietly brilliant as Hugo as well as a deft comedian and gives a very impressive interpretation of a hangover. Good supporting cast features Nick Adams as Gannon's young gofer and protege and Marion ("Happy Days") Ross as Day's savvy secretary. The DVD print is widescreen and fairly good. But what sells this film is Gable. He's supposed to be gruff and tough but his sensitivity as an actor layers his character with all the right humor, charisma and charm. He may have been aging, but he was still one of the best actors ever to cross the screen. Enjoy.

"Experience Is the Horse, Education Is the Jockey."
I've been eagerly awaiting this DVD release for some years now, and it's finally here! The pushing-60 Clark Gable--and if a more appealing man has ever lived, I'd really be interested to learn his identity--is entirely convincing as 30-something night-school adjunct Doris Day's love interest in this tale of on-the-job training vs. academia. Bringing up the rear (and earning a Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination for his efforts) are Gig Young as the egghead who's got it all...except Day, and Mamie Van Doren--hilarious in a small part as "The Girl Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll." Forces join seamlessly to provide truly witty, tasteful comedy (they not only DON'T make them like this anymore, I don't think they CAN) as worlds collide with delightful results.
The print isn't bad; it's anamorphic and I'm going to assume the the aspect ratio is correct (although we're given no specifics as to what it is). There's some shimmer but not enough to be truly distracting; the sound is fine. Unfortunately, there are no end credits, and since it seems to me that it has always been Paramount's habit to use them, I have to conclude that they exist and that the home video division was too lazy to bother including them on the disk, which is housed in a nice, locking keep case. There are NO extras, not even an insert with a chapter index, and the only subtitles are English--no captioning for the hearing-impaired (ironically, given the film's subject, whoever transcribed the subtitles was unaware of the gerund "their" and mistakenly used "there" in a scene near the end; a sad indication that even today's formally educated know zip about the proper use of their own language). It's this bare-bones quality that has cost a star, and it should be mentioned that this IS, after all, a budget release. HOWEVER, Fox titles are also very inexpensive, and they're PACKED with extras. So no excuses, Paramount. How about a little respect for the King of Hollywood?
Incidentally, Gable--a high-school dropout, not unlike the Jim Gannon character--was a self-educated man who was a voracious reader. It's often the case that, when discussing a film (either verbally or in print), the reviewer states something to the effect that one scene or another "is alone worth the price of admission/the cost of the disk," etc. There are any number of such scenes in Teacher's Pet, but if I were FORCED to choose one about which to make such a claim, it would be the one in which Gannon, in a fit of "tough love," fires his adoring young dropout protege to force him to go back to high school. He utters the phrase about spending one-third of his life going to, staying in, and coming out of men's rooms (to avoid displaying his ignorance of topics with which he's unfamiliar) with such voice-breaking conviction, that it's a safe bet Gable is drawing from personal experience. On this basis, one can assume that neither actor nor character would be caught dead using the ludicrous malapropisms that run rife through the writings of those whose education consists of watching movies and television; these include "run in the mail," "takes the price," and (my personal favorite) "from my point of you." Sigh.
Gig Young, incidentally, ended badly: I still remember the shock I experienced years ago upon learning that he'd committed suicide after murdering his (much younger) wife. And apropos of my previous assertion of Gable's appeal--which is universal--let me share a personal anecdote.
Some years back, a very young friend (mid-20's at the time) came to visit. She's Hispanic, and is about as refined, restrained, and undemonstrative a lady as one is likely to encounter. My television was tuned to TCM; Mutiny on the Bounty was being aired. My attention was on my friend, who suddenly emitted an alarming gasp that lasted a full five seconds. Her hands had involuntarily seized her chest and she croaked a strangled "Oh, my GOD." Her eyes had strayed to my set at a moment when the entire screen was filled with a closeup of the young Gable's face. She then gasped, "WHO is THAT?!"
I rest my case. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

So Many Favourites In One Film!!
Henry Fonda stars in one of his most famous roles as Mr. Roberts, an officer on board a cargo ship, a man who underestimates his importance and the respect he is shown by an appreciative crew. The reason they admire him so much is because he stands up to their dictatorial captain, played ferociously by James Cagney. Fonda brings a lot of dignity and quiet strength to his character. The great William Powell is Fonda's confidant and ship's doctor, and Powell plays him with wisdom and class. Jack Lemmon, as Ensign Pulver, gets many of the film's best laughs, as he broadly plays the officer who is a lot of talk, but not much action. Mister Roberts combines humour, honesty, and drama very well, giving the viewer a real sense of the camaraderie onboard the ship. We also see how the human spirit can triumph under difficult conditions. And it's also a great chance to see four of Hollywood's greatest actors in one film, each one showing what they did so well. This is one to watch.

Thank you, Mr. Roberts
When Henry Fonda received the Kennedy Center honors in the late 70's, as part of his tribute, the Naval Academy glee club sang. Red River Valley saluted Grapes of Wrath, but the highlight was Anchors Away, when the Midshipman director of the glee club turned about face, saluted and said "Thank you, Mr. Roberts." As each Middie left the stage, he saluted and former Lt (jg) Fonda returned each one. Mr. Fonda was reported to have said that that was the greatest honor he received in a truly distinguished career.

This movie has that impact--it is a salute to "all those brave men who sailed from Apathy to Tedium, with an occasional side trip to Monotony" (I hope I have this right). When he died, the network news tribute was a dark screen and the sound track as Dolan and the others, having learned just what Mr. Roberts had done for them, each repeated those magic words "Good night, Mr. Roberts."

This is my favorite movie, one which I have watched at least 100 times. With marvelous performances by William Powell (Doc), James Cagney (the Captain), and Jack Lemmon (Ensign Pulver), as well as a fine supporting cast, this is a "must have" selection.

Review is of DVD - Not the movie
Given the "classic" status of this movie, it seems meaningless to discuss the content for this review. Thus, I will stick to reviewing Warner Brothers DVD release of the film.

First, I commend them for the inclusion of the excerpt of an Ed Sullivan "Toast of the Town" (1948) tribute episode featuring the movie's stars. This was really interesting viewing.

However, for the movie itself....this is the worst Warner release I have seen since "National Velvet". The picture frequently becomes out of focus, and the picture is often very undefined throughout the whole movie. There are a couple of places in the movie where the picture jumps, as if the film from which the transfer was taken "skipped a sprocket".

Overall, this is an embarassing release of a classic movie....despite the great extras which are included. Warner needs to go back to the drawing board on this one.

I love this movie!
The film "Mister Roberts" has everything.

Great Story, great cast, great meaning. If I had my choice of only a dozen movies to recommend to anyone, this would be one of them.

After fifty years, it's still an inspiring story of how sometimes small, seemingly insignificant details and the consideration of the human factor contribute to effective leadership.

In fact, this film is still in use as a motivational tool in the U.S. Naval Services.

I highly recommend this movie.

One of my favorite movies
I loved this movie when I saw it many years ago, it's timeless and still funny after all these years. I'm so glad it's available on DVD and now part of my movie collection. ... Read more

Amazon.com

William Holden is the hunky drifter who rides the rails into a small Midwest town with dreams of landing a "respectable" job with his rich college buddy (Cliff Robertson). Kim Novak is the small-town beauty queen engaged to Robertson who falls for the cocky dreamer, as do repressed schoolmarm spinster Rosalind Russell and Novak's tomboyish kid sister Susan Strasberg. Their unleashed passions reach a crescendo at the Labor Day picnic.

Joshua Logan directed William Inge's play on Broadway and carried it to Hollywood, earning Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director in his screen-directing debut. Holden is years too old for the role but oozes sex appeal and makes a swoony stud when he takes his shirt off (or when, better yet, it's ripped from his back by a boozing Russell), and Novak is a lovely lost girl yearning for something she can't quite grasp. Arthur O'Connell earned an Oscar nomination as Russell's tippling boyfriend. The film was a huge popular and critical hit, but Logan's stiff and strident direction hasn't dated well. He makes his points in big capital letters--subtlety was never his strong point--and loses the natural beauty of the Kansas locations when he takes the climactic picnic scenes into an obviously artificial soundstage. Picnic remains a loved American classic, largely for Holden's tough-guy vulnerability and James Wong Howe's brilliant widescreen color photography. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (74)

A subtle movie! A Dynamite Cast! A Gorgeous Score!
This is a subtle and rewarding film. The cast is magnificent--the performances great! One of my favorite film scores too!

A hint for watching the movie. With each viewing, I find I have been concentrating on a different actor. Kim Novak is definitely at her peak; William Holden is remarkable; Rosalind Russell is at her very best, with a fantastically varied and difficult part; Susan Strasberg is wonderful indeed. All of the supporting actors are super too! And this IS primarily a story of individuals' lives, and how they are changed.

The film gives a remarkably accurate picture of life in 1950's rural Kansas. But onto this background is thrust a love story of great interest and appeal. The film has super color and fine sound (for its era anyway).

The film is, quite simply, astounding. Don't rent it....buy it, bucause it just gets better and better with repeated watchings!

Dripping with lust!
Picnic is one of those films that just transports the viewer into another time and era and that's the sign of a truly great film. Holden has the daunting task of playing a loveable hustler with big dreams that he just can't make happen. So he decides to go back to familiar grounds and falls for kim Novak. Novak is a treasure in this movie her exotic beauty and shaky voice highlights her characters uneveness to conform into the town's perfect beautiful young woman. This film at it's time was billed as too sexy due to the dance that Novak and Holden share at the picnic and till this day the scene holds up great. The lust in both their eyes and Novaks raw sex appeal against Holden's rugged good looks is a sight to be hold. But the back story which I won't give a hint of is the true tale of this flick and shows how human nature is always determined by the role society wants you to play based on your looks! This film still holds up today as a work of pure sexual energy and raw human emotions.

William Holden & Kim Novak are OUTSTANDING in Picnic
I saw PICNIC during its release in 1956 in India when I was in
school. I was crazy about English films and never missed a good
film.one of my class mates saw the film before me and remarked
about the energetic dancing of Holden as spellbinding.I was not
that keen in the beginning to see the film due to its title which meant lightweight and fun. But when I saw the film the experience was tremendous, I had just seen a masterpiece. William Holden and Kim Novak were just outstanding. Holden

brought a breath of fresh air as soon as he appeared, and Kim
Novak was not just a small town beauty queen, she oozed raw sex
and hidden desires exposed to the full by carefree but passionate William Holden. Although, without doubt the highlight of the film was the picnic and the dancing where all the principal players of the film are envolved emotionally and the finale to the story builds up, there other memorable scenes notably the swing scene where Holden gets hold of the swing where Novak is sitting, he begins playing with it unintentionally and realises for the first time that he has fallen for the fiancee of his best friend. Then there is that passionate scene beside the waterfall where both Holden and Novak admit their love for each other and kiss intensly, Holden with torn shirt. After this Holden runs and catches the running train and finally Novak follows him, her true love in the Greyhound. The execution of all these scenes and the whole story is nothing less than perfect. James Wong Hoe's technicolor photography is outstanding. Needless to say I have seen this film many times since and found it always charming.

Holden Sparks, Novak Smolders, Kansas Burns
In a decade of conformity and great prosperity William Inge and Tennessee Williams tackled subjects ahead of their time. Of course they in some cases had to veil the subject matter but that lead to some wonderful revelations in writing and reading between the lines. In this DVD from Colombia of Inge's Pulitzer Prize winning 'Picnic' we have one of the best films of this genre of sexual repression, animal heat, and desperation in small town America.
Most reviewers of this film might begin with the leads but I must start of with the wonderful Verna Felton as Helen Potts the sweet old lady who is caretaker of her aged mother and lives next door to the Owens family. This gifted and now forgotten character actress sets the tone of the picture as she welcomes drifter Hal Carter (William Holden) into her house. At the end of the film she glows in tender counterpoint to the dramatic ending. She is the only person who understands Hal, even more than Madge (Kim Novak). Her speech about having a man in the house is pure joy to watch. It is a small but important performance that frames the entire story with warmth and understanding.
Betty Field turns in a sterling performance as Flo Owens, Mother of Madge and Millie. She is disapproving of Millie's rebellious teen and smothering of her Kansas hothouse rose Madge. A single Mom trying in desperation to keep Madge from making the same mistakes she did. She becomes so wrapped up in Madge's potential for marriage to the richest boy in town she completely ignores the budding greatness that is bursting to get out in her real treasure. Millie.
Susan Strasberg creates in her Millie a sweet comic oddball. She is the youngest daughter who awkwardly moves through the landscape nearly un-noticed, reading the scandalous "Ballad of the Sad Café" being the only one who is different and can't hide it. Her yearning to get out of the smallness of small town life is colored with the skill of a young actress with greatness her.
Rosalind Russell nearly steals the show as the fourth woman in the Owens household boarder, Rosemary, a frantic, hopeless and clutching spinster. In the capable hands of Miss Russell we have a real powerhouse of a performance. She imbues Rosemary with all the uptight disapproval of a woman who knows that her time has past and there are very few options left. She is electric in her need for love. Every nuance of her emotions is sublime in her presentation. Just watch her hands alone.
Floating above all of this is Madge Owens, the kind of girl who is too pretty to be real. The kind of girl who in a small town like this is not understood to have any real feelings or thoughts other than those that revolve around being beautiful and empty. Enter Kim Novak, who is just such a girl. Who could ever expect such a beauty to be anything more than just pretty? But Miss Novak, a vastly underrated actress in her day paints a knowing and glowing portrait of Madge. Her explosion of sexual heat upon meeting Hal for the first time is internal and barely perceptible until she looks at him from behind the safety of the screen door the end of their first scene. That screen door is a firewall protecting her from the flames. She fights in the early part of the film to keep her sexual desire for Hal in check. That night she loses her fight at the picnic and we watch as she opens to reveal a woman of feelings and dreams so much deeper than the prettiness of her eyes or the luminosity of her skin. This is one of Kim Novak's early great roles and one she fills out with lush and deep emotion.
The lives of all of these women of Nickerson Kansas are changed one Labor Day when Hal comes steaming into town. William Holden gives a raw and wounded portrayal to Hal, a man at the edge of his youth and on the verge of becoming a lost man. He lives as he always has, on the fading glow of his golden boy charm and his muscular magnetism. Holden was 35 when he made Picnic, a real golden boy at the edge of his youth. He was perfect for the part. Some reviewers say he was too old to play Hal, but I disagree. Without being thirty-five in real life as well as in the story Rosemary's "Crummy Apollo" speech would not be so effective or devastating. Hal is a man who never bothered to grow up, a man who never let anyone get too close for fear they might see through is bravado and discover his fears of feeling something, anything before it's too late.
Holden also brings a sexual heat to the film that is eons beyond the time it was filmed. He is presented almost like a slab of meat. He struts around in a pre-Stonewall dream of sexy hotness. Not only the girls in town notice him but a few boys too. (There are several layers to Nick Adams paperboy if one bothers to look.) When finally Holden sparks with Novak they blow the lid off of the uptight code bound studio-strangled world of Hollywood in the Fifties.
The film is photographed magnificently in lush color and cinemascope by famed cinematographer James Wong Howe. The famous score by George Durning is classic not only for the famous reworking of the old standard "Moonglow" but for his virtuosity in dramatic power. This is a giant of a score from the silver age of film music. The direction by Josh Logan is perfect in every way and stands among the best of his work.

Moonglow moments
You know it's good:

1. It's the look on William Holden's face when he first catches a glimpse of Kim Novak coming down the stairs in that pink dress. ("Madge is the pretty one"--she sure is)
2. It's the way she shimmies up to him. Revealing her intentions, she never loses eye contact or says a word.
3. It's the moment he takes her into his arms to dance close--he gives a little sigh of pleasure.
4. It's the look on his face when he's dancing--that criptic smile of pleasure and sensuality--all the while knowing that she's totally off limits.

and of course the song itself. This scene in itself makes the movie and with DVD you can play it over and over and over... Not many dance scenes have stood the test of time. I loved it. What can I say--I'm a chick. ... Read more

Reviews (72)

Doris and Rock's best movie
Without a doubt, this film is the apex of the Rock and Doris screen collaboration. It's an absolute delight from the opening scenes until the credits roll. It's also a wonderful time machine of the 1950's, and even though I was born after this film was made, it always make me feel as if I experienced this decade first-hand. Doris Day had a charisma on screen that is indescribable and it's never been put to better use than here. You just want to hug her to bits, she's simply adorable and her character makes the film. Rock gives one of his best peformances and he was always better when Doris was around. They screen chemistry is fabulous, exceeded only by Tracy and Hepburn. It's obvious these were two people who liked each other and felt comfortable in each other's company. Thelma Ritter and Tony Randall give superb supporting performances.

Another wonderful thing about Pillow Talk is that it's still extremely funny. There are many scenes where you will laugh out loud. The entire interplay between Doris and Rock (when he's Rex Stetson) is hilarious and holds up beautifully. Another favorite scene is when Rock is confronted with his re-designed apartment, all at the hands of the scheming Doris.

They don't make 'em like this anymore. People of all ages should love this film. I watch it every few years and always find something new to admire or laugh about. A highly recommended and enjoyable movie. One word about the DVD version: I was disappointed in the quality, it's a little grainy. There are also not many extras, excepting the theatrical trailer.

A Comic Inspiration...To Me!
Of all the classic comedies that starred Doris Day and Rock Hudson, or the two stars with other co-stars, this remains my favorite.The legendary late Rock Hudson was at his peak in this romantic comedy, and who better to showcase his charms against, than quintessential girl-next-door, Doris Day. Hudson thrives on his ability to charm indeed, as a songwriter named Brad Allen. Brad is a love-em and leave-em kind of guy, who entertains a seemingly endless array of lovesick females at his well equipped bachelor pad. He also sings to them over the phone for hours on end, tying up the telephone party-line he shares with Jan Morrow, interior designer, enter a perturbed Doris Day. Every time Jan picks up the phone, she hears Brad sing "You're My Inspiration...", and always with a new girls' name attached to the end. Flabbergasted at his womanizing, she sends a phone company rep to have a word with Mr. Allen, only to find that she TOO has fallen for the tall dark and handsome playboy. .............. Jan tells her boyfriend of sorts played by the wonderful veteran comedy legend Tony Randall, about her dialing dilemma. Randall, as always, plays himself. He's neat, dapper and proper, as not only Jan's boyfriend, but Brad Allen's friend and boss as well. After extoling the virtues of Jan to Brad, and mentioning that she shares a party-line with "some nut", describing the singing phone routine, Brad is too curious to find out what Randall is so wild about. After Brad Allen finally glimpses Jan Morrow dancing at a club, and sees the other end of his party line is not the shrew he expected, he sets out for his sweetest conquest of all................ "Pillow Talk" is a timeless gem of classic comedy. Amazingly, it was considered quite risque in it's time. This only goes to show just how jaded the world and cinema has become since 1959. Rock Hudson was actually embarrassed, and nearly declined the role. We can speculate in retrospect why he felt that way, but no one could've been a better cad than Rock as Brad! The one and only Doris Day is sweet as sunshine, until the duped decorator delighfully disarms Mr. Allen's charms, leaving him, for the first time, really in love with someone other than himself. Thelma Ritter is amusing as Jan's perpetually hung-over housekeeper. It's a truly comic moment when Ritter counsels Brad over a few too many drinks on how to win Jan over, and Hudsons' head hits the table with a thud, while Ritter babbles on oblivous to her companions condition. Tony Randall is his classic prim self, and laugh out loud funny, as he storms into his own place to rescue Jan from the smug seducer huffing the line "At least you could have had the DECENCY...to bring your OWN champagne!" .............. There are too many wonderful moments in this film to cover them all. If you somehow haven't, it's far better for you to enjoy watching this long lost genre of the innocent, fun, fresh feel-good romantic comedy, and experience first hand, the pure delight it has to offer in abundance.

Wonderful comedy of 3 Hollywood Stars with amazing chemistry
I grew up knowing about Doris Day because my mother was/is a big fan of her comedies. When I first saw "Pillow Talk" I was a mere child (the film was made the same year I was born). Over the years I have watched it frequently, and now have it also on DVD. The film continues to entertain and delight me, even as my impressions have changed with time.

Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall had a wonderfully delightful chemistry amongst them! From the opening where Doris is humming "Pillow Talk" after the intro is completed, to the far-fetched but humourous end when Brad Allen (Rock) is trying to tell his friend Jonathan that he is going to be a father, the film is simply splendidly performed throughout! Credit must also be given to the script writers Stanley Shapiro & Maurice Richlin, director Michael Gordon & Producer Ross Hunter.

Even though I was born the year "Pillow Talk" was made, I didn't even know party lines existed until I visited a great-aunt in Northern Minnesota. I remember picking up the phone and hearing people talk. WHAT A DISCOVERY! It put the film in a new context for me when I saw it later (I am not sure if I had seen it before). I suspect that the younger generation might not understand even the notion of party lines in our age of cellular phones and internet. In this regard, the film takes us back to a less techonologically advanced time, but a time where life seemed somehow more relaxed.

I delight in seeing New York City, Central Park, and the American automobiles in the 1959 frame of context. One question that pops into my mind: did people in NYC really have such big apartments with a single woman living alone, and still affording a maid to come in each day??? Was the maid really paid enough to make a living from it? Did NYC really have that sort of "everyone knows everyone" feel such as when Kelly the police officer congratulates Brad Allen as he carries Jan Morrow from her apartment to his? I doubt it, but the fantasy is lovely!

Rock Hudson did a really fun impression of a Texan rancher up in New York. Tony Randall was extremely funny as the self-deprecating multi-millionaire in love with Jan, and Doris simply glowed from beginning to end. The last few times I have watched it, which has been recently, I have been struck by the sexual frankness it explored. Brad the playboy, always luring in the beautiful women, Jan the wonderfully moral interior decorator, who shakes her tush in a very sexy manner at a nightclub when Brad first spots her, and the budding romance that develops between the two when he becomes "Rex Stetson", a cowboy from Texas. "Rex" playing the moral companion who would do nothing to offend the proper Miss Morrow, while inside he is sizing her up and biting at the bit to ... well bite at her bits? When the gig is almost up, "Rex" innocently suggests that Jan join him for a weekend in Connecticut. While there was no actual sex occuring, it is made clear that it was about to happen when Jan figures out the ruse Brad Allen has played on her. Hollywood, perhaps afraid of the extent of this sexual frankness, has Miss Morrow crying at the diner where she and Jonathan stop for coffee, saying "I thought we were going to get married." Good girl image preserved!

Later, when Brad Allen conspires with Jan's boss to have her redecorate his apartment, the scene of the music beginning to play and the double bed automatically folding out with sheets in place left no doubt what sort of life Brad led prior to falling in love with Jan. He was a playboy through and through and measured success by the quantity of women he successfully "entertained" at home. Growing up believing that promiscuous sexuality was a by-product of the late 60's counter culture movement and "summer of love", it struck me how direct and unambigious this scene was. However, in a very moral and virginal way, Jan's virtues are protected until she hears that Brad wants to marry her and in fact, loves her very deeply.

I am particularly fond of stories where romance changes a person for the good. Being an adult and a male, however, I wonder if such a womanizing playboy could and would remain ever faithful to the woman he loves for all eternity and never feel the need to stray again. It is fun, however, to believe that love was the true redemptor and that Brad and Jan lived happily ever after. Isn't this the great promise of romance AND fairy tales.
In both genres, Pillow Talk succeeds beyond measure and I love it more each time I see it.

P.S. The music is great too. Love "Roly Poly", "Possess Me" and of course, the theme song!

funny!
This is truely one of the funnier Doris Day movies. I enjoy watching it. The first time I saw it was on tv and I just loved it. It's funny and it has a storyline that isn't tired and boring. I would reccomend this movie to anybody who likes musical comedies. The only thing I disliked a bout this movie was that Rock Hudson had to sing. He wasn't too great!

Pillow Talk
Rock Hudson and Doris Day always been one of my favorite classic couples of the 1950s films. Pillow Talk is one of my top titles for their team up. When an uptight decorator share a party line with a carefree playboy who would know that when they meet it would end up love at almost first sight. The late Tony Randall always seem to play the man stuck in the middle of the two in so many of their films that he's a terrfic straight man comic addition. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Don Siegel brings his tough worldview and crisp, no-nonsense direction to this quintessential World War II drama of an undermanned American platoon in France holding off a German advance through sheer bluff and bravery. Steve McQueen is curt and surly as the insubordinate loner whose tactical skills and soldiering savvy make him indispensable to his new unit. His reputation precedes him, but commander Fess Parker is in no position to be choosy when he learns that his tired platoon will not be shipping home as rumored, but tossed into a ragged new offensive. Harry Guardino costars as the soulful Sarge; James Coburn is the slow-talking, forever-tinkering mechanic; Bobby Darin is the scavenger with a small fortune in trinkets; and Nick Adams is the Polish orphan and unit mascot. Bob Newhart makes his feature debut as a hopelessly lost typing clerk drafted into the undermanned unit and re-creates his nightclub shtick making phony phone calls near a Nazi listening post in the pillbox. Like Pork Chop Hill, this film is less a patriotic flag waver than a "war is hell" drama that frames the battle not in its tactical importance (which is negligible) but in its cost in human life. McQueen's taciturn performance as a ruthlessly effective soldier and Siegel's tough, lean direction make it a modest classic of the genre. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (21)

McQueen Brings It To Life
Gritty realism and a riveting performance by Steve McQueen highlight the World War II action/drama "Hell Is For Heroes," directed by Don Siegel. The setting is France, 1944, and American troops are spread thin across a sector of the Siegfried Line. When heavy action in another area precipitates troop movement, a squad of six men is left behind to hold the position until reinforcements arrive, which means a day or maybe two of making the Germans believe they are actually up to strength with a full complement of men. Not an easy task, but like the man said, war is hell. With Sergeant Larkin (Harry Guardino) in charge, and left to their own devices for survival, the men of the 2nd Squad dig in for what just may be the longest night of their lives. And for some, it will prove to be not only the longest, but their last. In the shadow of a murderous pill box held by the enemy, the soldiers make their stand and add yet another footnote to another chapter in the history of the eternal struggle for freedom.

Filmed in stark black&white, Siegel's film succinctly captures the fatal brutality of war, in terms perhaps not as graphic, but every bit as effectively as Steve Spielberg would do some thirty-six years later with his monumental film "Saving Private Ryan." Siegel may not have had the special effects in 1961 that Spielberg had at his disposal in 1998, but he did have an excellent screenplay (by Robert Pirosh and Richard Carr) from which to work. He tells his story in a direct, unromanticized way that maintains the focus and conveys the sense of urgency of the moment, through which he builds the tension and suspense that makes the peril of the situation immediate and real. Siegel had two predominant elements going for him that helped him achieve success with this venture: One was an instinctive knowledge of what works and how to deliver it; but most of all, he had Steve McQueen to sell it.

McQueen plays Pvt. John Reese, a veteran soldier who transfers into this particular outfit on the very day they are ordered to the front line. And that's just the way Reese wants it. When he reports for duty (three days late), he runs into Sergeant Pike (Fess Parker), who had served with him in another campaign. It's late evening, and the troops are assembling at an old church outside of town that now serves as a makeshift barracks; Pike sees Reese and asks him how he is. "Thirsty," Reese replies. "Town's off limits," Pike tells him. The very next scene shows Reese walking into town and finding what appears to be the only bar on a lonely street. Stepping up to the counter, Reese asks the bartender (a woman) for a bottle. "One pack or two?" he asks. "We aren't allow to serve soldiers--" she says. "Two," he replies, and setting the cigarettes on the counter, he walks around and takes a bottle. And now, without a doubt, we know exactly who and what Reese is; the personification of the iconoclastic loner, embodied to perfection in the form of Steve McQueen.

By all accounts, McQueen was not only a tough guy on screen, but in real life as well; tough meaning that he was always up for a challenge of any kind, and determined to live by his own set of rules, no matter what the cost. But he was a complex individual, and that was but one side of his true persona. To play Reese, McQueen went to that dark, stoic side of himself, exaggerated it, and the result was one of the most intense characters he ever created. Reese is a force of one, adamant and relentless, single-minded and fatalistic. At the moment he's on the Siegfried Line, but for him it's just another battle in a war he's been waging with life since the day he was born. And he knows deep down that it's a war he's never going to win; it's just a matter of time before his hand plays out, and being on the line is just as good a place as any. For him, it's not a matter of options, but of inevitability. It's an exemplary performance, and one for which McQueen never received the acclaim he was due, which unfortunately was not an isolated instance in his career. There was Vin in "The Magnificent Seven," Frank Bullitt in "Bullitt" and Tom Horn in "Tom Horn," as well. And that's but a sample of the work he did for which he never received enough recognition. His only real acknowledgement came with his creation of Jake Holman in "The Sand Pebbles," a role for which he was nominated and should have received the Oscar for Best Actor. But Reese was one of his first, and one of his best.

The supporting cast includes Bobby Darin (Corby), James Coburn (Henshaw), Mike Kellin (Kolinsky), Joseph Hoover (Captain Loomis), Bill Mullikin (Cumberly), Nick Adams (Homer) and Bob Newhart in his film debut as Pvt. Driscoll. Hard-hitting and with unforgiving realism, "Hell Is For Heroes," though on a smaller scale, perhaps, than Spielberg's "Ryan," is one of the most effective and memorable war films ever made; Siegel gave it direction and focus, McQueen brought it to life. And it's quite simply one of the best of it's kind you'll ever see.

One of the all-time greatest War movies! Not to be missed!!
I was born in 1954 and went to see this one when it first came out. I was all of eight years old. What an extremely profound impact it would have on my life. I eventually went on to serve as an officer in the USMC, partly because of the heroism depicted in this movie. Each time that I watch it now, I sympathize with the characters that are sent to cover a sector of the Sigfried line and one morning wake to find that the rest of the company has pulled leaving only their squad to defend the company-sized front. How desperate their reaction! They do the right thing - they go on the offensive! I won't spoil it for you. It is an excellent movie well worth adding to any collection. No war movie collector would be without it. Great performances by Fess Parker, Steve McQueen, Nick Adams, Bobby Darin, James Coburn, Bob Newhart, Harry Guardino and others who also went on to become famous character acters. Well worth owning at any price!!!

"You show up on the line.....I'll blow your head off."
4.5 stars. This is the sort of War film I wish they would make more often. Where the story centers around a platoon of characters, all of which are memorable with depth of individual character. A movie with the same type of ensemble acting in a War film is Olver Stone's "Platoon." The fact that this particular film predates "Platoon" by 24 years is remarkable. This is a story about a small, 6-man platoon left to hold a mile-wide stretch of ragged countryside until reinforcements arrive; but there is no telling if or when they will. It's that sort of tension that is held all the way to the explosive finale. But it's the journey that makes this film worthwhile. The entire cast is excellent, with Steve McQueen heading the list with another of his under-appreciated performances. He is one of those rare types that is a movie-star that can act; it's the ones who can do both who become legendary. The plotting in this film is also noteworthy, with ingenious ideas and interesting characters joined together to hold the line. The script is both sharp and intense. There were a couple of extreme moments, one of which I actually exclaimed aloud. However, there are two reasons why I just can't give this film 5 stars. The first happens in the final, climactic battle, where many of the extras fall over (shot dead) so badly and with such fake screaming that I was crestfallen. All the scenes leading up to the end are well-done and authentic, so it was a let-down to see mediocrity of any kind, particularly during the climax. The second and last thing I didn't like was the splicing of real War footage in with the final assault. All the voices are obviously dubbed, which was another moment to shake my head in dismay. There are some great moments during that last battle, so take my criticism with a grain of proverbial salt. "Hell is for Heroes" is nearly a great film, if not for those two inconsistencies. This film has great acting, a solid script with more humor and intelligence than I would have imagined, and another legendary turn by Steve McQueen. I should mention that I first saw this on VHS, then later rented it on DVD. The transfer to DVD is pristine, and the sound quality is excellent. Take it easy.

Taut Combat Drama
From Don (Dirty Harry, The Shootist) Segal comes this engaging World War II combat drama with an all star cast including Steve McQueen, Harry Guardino, James Coburn, Bobby Darin (!), Bob Newhart, LQ Jones and Nick (`Godzilla vs. Monster Zero') Adams.

The story begins when a squad of combat-weary GI's is sent back to the front and then left behind by the rest of the Company to defend an insignifigant portion of the Siegfried Line. Then the Germans decide it is not so insignifigant after all. The hook is the diminutive squad must convince the company of Wermacht soldiers that they are facing a much larger force. They employ a variety of illusions to keep up the charade (James Coburn runs a backfiring jeep in low gear in a circle to make the Germans think they have a tank, Bob Newhart sits in a pillbox making up radio traffic, and they string up rocks in empty ammo cans to make it sound like troop movement), but eventually the Germans begin to figure it out. The only thing left for them to do is hit the enemy hard and without warning to discourage their advance until the company returns.

This is an engrossing small scale drama with some intense action (despite a liberal use of wartime stock footage, mostly of artillery crews, to give us a sense of place) - the scene where the German patrol charges McQueen's foxhole with fixed bayonets is pretty desperate, with McQueen resorting to throwing his helmet to beat down their advance!

Without a doubt this movie is carried by the skillful gritty direction of Segal and an awesome cast. McQueen comes on strong and early as the grizzled vet busted down from Master Sergeant for trying to run down a colonel with his jeep. Little details hint toward a bloody and intriguing past - he favors a captive Schweisser German machinegun and keeps a butcher knife strapped to his hip. This is just about the toughest I've ever seen him. Guardino as the Sarge is paternal, Newhart endearing as an inexperienced typist who stumbles onto the squad and gets his jeep requisitioned, and Nick Adams is pretty authentic as a Polish D.P. desperate to prove his worth and go back to America with the squad - I didn't even know it was him till the credits rolled. James Coburn is reserved as a tinkering engineer, and Bobby Darin is fine too as a profit-minded procurer. All the cast gives standout performances, never once blurring as individuals in my mind - which makes the impact of some of their deaths all the more real and shocking.

Little details about the movie help to sell it - the toilet seat hung on the base wall as a frame for a picture of Der Fuherer, Newhart talking into a radio-phone with the severed chord dangling there, and that nerve-wracking night crawl through the minefield! Plus, what a climax! Great movie.

A war film ahead of its time.
Like Citizen Kane this movie plays more like a movie made yesterday that just happened to be in black and white.

Cheesy musical scores, guns that never run out of bullets, and ...Germans are WWII movie elements this one leaves out. Like Saving Private Ryan, there is little music and very realistic fighting that detail the horrors of war.

Certainly dark, this movie consists almost soley of 5 characters on one set. But there's still plenty of action and suspense. Although no really large battle scene, we really feel for these characters and understand the dispare of their position. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In the darkness behind Jupiter there lurks a heretofore undiscovered planet, Planet X, boasting beings of superior intelligence.ThePlanet&nbspX-ers are forced to live underground because of the havoc wreaked onthe surface by Ghidra, the three-headed monster.Once discovered by our astronauts, including the ultra-hip Nick Adams (spouting such phrases as "That's right, baby!" with innocent conviction), the Planet X-ers propose that they transport Godzilla and Rodan from Earth to their planet to help rid them of the Ghidra menace. Only, as it turns out, they have a dastardly plan to use the bipedal behemoth and his flighty friend to conquer the Earth, harnessing their destructive force with "magnetic waves."And it almost works, but for the ingenuity... well, you get it.There can be no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than watching monsters battle it out, while Nick Adams speaks in his accustomed English to others speaking dubbed English (really Japanese), like they all know what each other is saying.The DVD gives you a choice of cropped-screen or letterboxed in scrumptious Tohoscope, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or Mono, and some more extras.It is also available in a boxed set with four of the better Godzillaflicks by director Inoshiro Honda. --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (47)

One of the best Godzilla's....
As an obsessed Godzilla fan, this film (along with Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla & Godzilla vs Gigan) is my favorite of the series, including the heisi(sp?) series. Do not get me wrong, all the godzilla films are my favorite 23 films ever (Yeah, even Godzillas revenge) but this one might just be my favorite. So we have 2 astronauts (One american one, by the way) launched into space and stumble upon a 'hidden' planet the inhabitants call Planet X. Theese aliens have really cool costumes and the dubbing is not really that bad, although the controllers silly hand motions are sort of laughable, and they do seem to be a bit threatining. Now theese aliens happen to be every so often raided by the huge monster Monster Zero (everything is numbered on this planet, but Monster Zero is known as King Ghidra as mentioned by Glenn on Earth). The aliens want to borrow Godzilla and Rodan to defeat Ghidra. Earth and X at first are peaceful, but then Earth really realizes that Planet X is no friendlier that Ghidirah himself. Now this film is fun! Godzilla - the best character of the best movies there ever will be, and then Rodan - my second favorite ally next to Angirius(sp?) battles, then teams up with him! Then we have Mothra, who i really could have done without, is thrown up with the two monsters. Then my 3rd favorite Godzilla foe of ALL TIME (Next to Gigan and Mecagodzilla) = King Ghidirah the Three HEaded Monster HIMSELF in ALL of his golden scaled glory! The film i think is well acted, and has good special effects for its time. I mean come on, some of the movies out today dont feature as cool looking villians as Ghidirah, let alone the Big G! I think that the inventor character is some what annoying, but OK. I reccomend this to anyone with a VCR/DVD player. I assume alll Godzilla fans have seen it, if you havent, you arent a fan and HAVE to pick this one up - for you sake!

This one is just plain fun
This is one of my favorite Godzilla movies of all time. Monster Zero (better known as King Ghidorah) is to my eyes the most impressive foe Godzilla ever fought. Maybe it's just me, but the special effects of Ghidorah are stellar, much better than those of Godzilla himself. The plot features about everything I want in a good old-fashioned monster movie: weird aliens, a foe with an evil laugh, wanton destruction, and some funny poses and gestures from Godzilla. Of course, the whole story about a planet being discovered just on the other side of Jupiter is sort of silly, but who really cares? This is Godzilla we are talking about. One thing I could not figure out was why the aliens went to the trouble of transporting Godzilla and Rodan to their planet, only to bring them right back to Earth; it seems like they could have taken control of the monsters right here, especially since they had already set up a secret base in Japan.

There are a few drawbacks to the film. A regular red-headed American is featured prominently in the story (as opposed to being pasted in after the fact a la Raymond Burr), and he does a very good job of showing why Americans just do not belong in Godzilla movies. He really got on my nerves, to tell the truth... All in all, this movie is great fun for all. As an added bonus, at least on my copy, there are trailers from about five other Godzilla movies at the end of the tape.

Simitar DVD
VIDEO QUALITY:
Once again a two sided disc from Simitar. Side 1 contains the full screen TV version of "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" and Side 2 contains the original 2.35:1 widescreen version. Sadly, Side 2 is not anamorphically enhanced. Side 1's image is as you would expect - rubbish. You loose over half the image, the print has bad colouration and print damage. It will still hold some nostalgia for those that grew up with is though. Side 2 looks reasonably good, with vivid colours and a generally sharp image. At times there can be quite a lot of grain on screen though, and during some of the effects sequences it looks like someone dropped the print, stepped on it a could of times, attempted to rub it clean with a dirty sweatshirt and rammed it back in the machine... I'll stop drinking so much coffee... As with all Simitar discs, there was also quite a lot of artifacting, most notably on Side 2 unfortunately. There was also the occasional rainbow effect, though it was very rare on this disc, and you wouldn't find it unless you were looking for it.

AUDIO QUALITY:
Side 1 comes packed with the original mono track, which sounds like it was kept in very good condition. There wasn't any trace of crackling, hissing, fuzzing or any other kind of wear. The only problem I could really notice was a little distortion when the sound became slightly loud, but then I doubt this mono track was exactly designed for home cinema systems with such huge subwoofers. Side 2 contains both the original mono track and an all new 5.1 track designed by Simitar. The mono track on this side is on par with Side 1, if not slightly better. The 5.1 track is pretty much the same as the mono, in fact I hardly noticed anything different about it at all. Some of the sound effects during the battles had a little more bass, and there were some new sound effects during the military battles that really sounded odd and didn't blend well with the film, though that's really the extent of this track's differences.

EXTRA FEATURES:
Again, it carries the same basic features as all Simitar discs: There are several Godzilla screen savers included for DVD-ROM users, which are only compatible with Windows® 95 machines. There are also some custom trailers Simitar designed for their Godzilla releases, which are made in a cheesy 1950's American monster movie style. There is a video art gallery, and for DVD-ROM users a printable art gallery, which is fairly interesting, as well as a short trivia game to rest your knowledge on the film.

OVERALL:
This is probably one of the better Simitar releases. Simitar claim to have remastered this from the original source (presumably they mean the American source), which doesn't give you much comfort that we'll ever see anything better than this. Despite that, you're getting the film in widescreen with a reasonably good image and some very nice audio - add to that some quirky trivia games and some orchestrated image galleries you've got a reasonably good disc.

Camp you wouldn't believe!
OK, we got a newly discovered planet X that tricks the Earth into giving up Godzilla(?). The aliens are left over rejects from Flash Gorden forty years before. The people in these monster costumes certainly earned their money on this one. Kudos to the man who actually made Godzill do his Russian style celebration dance. I know there are a whole lotta Godzilla fans out there. But when it comes down to it, this is one of the hokiest movies ever dreamed up. Rock on Godzilla.

Planet X
Not a bad godzilla film I mean we get to Godzilla,Rodan,and Gidorah on the same side!!!recking hell.Like usual the aliens plans on controlling Godzilla never works so he and rodan ends up turning against them and defeat King Gidorah and the Aliens.
But overal its a alright G flick in my book. ... Read more

Amazon.com

American International Pictures production designer Daniel Haller donned the director's jodhpurs for the studio's second attempt at bringing horror master H.P. Lovecraft to drive-in audiences. The script, adapted from the author's favorite story, "The Colour Out of Space," by science fiction scribe Jerry Sohl (who later adapted another AIP/Lovecraft film, The Curse of the Crimson Altar), moves the location from rural New England to present-day Great Britain, where American Stephen Reinhart (Nick Adams) is visiting the ancestral home of his fiancée (Suzan Farmer from Dracula, Prince of Darkness). The girl's father (Boris Karloff) demands his departure, warning of a curse by his warlock ancestor. Said curse is actually a radioactive meteor, which mutates not only the local flora and fauna (the "zoo from hell" sequence, where Adams and Farmer encounter monstrous creatures in a greenhouse, is a campy/creepy highlight), but Farmer's mother (Freda Jackson), and eventually Karloff, who becomes a glowing zombie before the house burns in typical AIP fashion. Like the studio's previous effort, Roger Corman's The Haunted Palace, the picture is Lovecraft-lite, toning down the story's sense of unearthly horror in favor of standard-issue spook-show shenanigans. But Karloff's presence, though infirm, lends to the adequately chilly atmosphere, as does Haller's eye for dark-and-dreary art direction. Haller later directed another uneven Lovecraft film, The Dunwich Horror. MGM's full-screen VHS (and widescreen DVD) print has aged gracefully, with only minor surface damage. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Another H. P. Lovecraft adaptation debacle (despite Karloff)
H. P. Lovecraft's novella "The Colour Out of Space" is transplanted to England in this 1965 American International film directed by Daniel Haller. Nick Adams, saved temporarily from his monster movie career in Japan, plays Stephen Reinhart, who goes to Arkham, England to visit his honey, Susan Whitely (Suzan Farmer). Her family lives in an obviously haunted mansion where they are feared and hated by their neighbors. Although Susan is something of a ditz, her parents are genuinely spooky. Boris Karloff plays Nahum Whitley, a scientist bound to a wheelchair, while his wife Letitia (Freda Jackson) never leaves her curtained bed. Nahum has padlocked the greenhouse and the dungeon, uh, cellar, while Letitia begs for Stephen to take Susan and go far, far away before something horrible happens. Of course, it is too late. Nahum's family has been worshipping demons for ages and they have a glowing meteorite that is making plants and animals (including Letitia) mutate.

For one of the create horror writers of all-time, Lovecraft's stories sure make for a lousy set of films. A couple of episodes of "Night Gallery" game close and "The Dunwich Horror" is actually mediocre, but you know this one is in trouble as soon as you see the title. Karloff had almost died from pneumonia, but even confined to a wheel chair he out acts everybody else in the film. But the entire Cuthulu Mythos background of Lovecraft's stories is reduced to a few bizarre statutes and weird books in the Whitley library. Maybe if you never read Lovecraft you can tack on another star for this one, but not even Karloff's presence can elevate this one to a level of acceptability.

Ok AIP Horror
"Die, Monster, Die" is passable stuff for horror fans, with good atmosphere, photography, and art direction, and of course the presence of Karloff; but plotwise it's a bit of a tangle, a hackneyed adaptation of Lovecraft's 'The Color Out of Space' that loses the flavor of the story in trying to adapt it to the conventions of the Price/Corman/Poe films. Unique source material is, unfortunately, boiled down to a series of cliches. But for dedicated horror fans, they're good cliches.

Lurking With Lovecraft
Veteran screenwriter Jerry Sohl and scene designer/fledgling director Daniel Haller expand Lovecraft's "colorful" short story into a typical feature-length AIP shocker, with mostly good results.

Nick Adams visits his fiance Susan Farmer's ancestral estate in the country, where he is not welcomed with open arms. Farmer's father, Boris Karloff, has a feared and hated name in the region, for reasons no one will disclose. Karloff himself tries to send Adams away upon his arrival, but Farmer won't hear of it - nor will her mother, the sickly and sequestered Frieda Jackson, who sent for Adams in the first place.

Standoffish Karloff is hiding something, and even Jackson isn't fully sure what it is. It has something to do with a meteorite that permanently blasted the nearby heath some years ago, and is somehow killing Karloff's household. Jackson wants Adams to take Farmer away from the unhealthy environment.

But Adams discovers from town doctor Patrick Magee that Karloff's family has always been twisted with a bizarre space-cult religion, which in some way has something to do not only with their penchant for undiagnosable wasting illness, but also seems to have created an unknown poison that is sucking the vital life force out of the entire area and gives birth to mutations.

It isn't long before Adams discovers the hidden source of Karloff's family's - and the town's - woes: Karloff has been keeping the meteorite in his diseased progenitors' religious shrine, where its unearthly cosmic force continues to ravage anything in the vicinity. Before the story is out, most of his household will succumb to it - in colorfully hideous fashion, by way of disintegrating facial makeups and sundry other mutations - and Adams will have a nasty time delivering poor Susan Farmer (and himself) to safety.

The movie is uneven, and takes a while to get going. There are a lot of stalking-through-the-mansion shots. But director Haller's experience as an artistic scene designer shows, and the film is indeed extremely colorful and atmospheric. There are some clever puppet effects used to show mutated plant-creatures and lesser changed animals. Jackson's disintegration is a great moment, very creepy and unsettling. And Karloff undergoes a final unlikely mutation himself, transforming from a wheelchair-ridden irascible old man into a silvery-greenish, bald, athletically powerful alien attacker - which makes no logical sense whatsoever, but is great fun to watch.

A typical movie of the studio and the time, but elevated by a good cast, decent script, and terrific production design and cinematography.

Typical 60s AIP Brit-Horror
Whether or not you like the style of the films AIP made in the UK in the mid-sixties will determine what you think of this. Nick Adams arrives in the cosy little English village of Arkham and discovers peculiar goings-on up at a big old house where Boris Karloff is creating strange mutated things in his greenhouse with the aid of a glowing green meteorite. Boris's wife is starting to mutate as well and she manages to go on the rampage and get her face melted before the whole thing ends predictably in flames. Daniel Haller's exercise in adapting Lovecraft was presumably filmed around Bray studios as the house used for the exterior shots is none other than Oakley Court, the location used for many a classic British horror film including The Reptile, Vampyres and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
As a piece of filmic Lovecraft the picture doesn't really work. If, however, you want a well-preserved widescreen slice of mid-sixties Brit horror then look no further. MGM's print has a few scratches but the colour photography in the opening scenes of the railway station and the village must look as good as (if not better than) when the film was first released. The special effects are what you would expect from this time period - psychedelic colour filters and rubber puppets twisted into funny shapes to simulate the greenhouse mutations. Good value for money, even if the only extras are a trailer and chapter selections.

Nice DVD edition of uneven Karloff occult thriller
Roger Corman's long-time art director, Daniel Haller, who later helmed a handful of cult films (Wild Racers, Devil's Angels) and innumerable TV series, got his first directorial shot with this entertaining if ultimately somewhat disappointing mixture of gothic mystery, occult, and science fiction elements. The screenplay by Jerry Sohl unsurprisingly bears only slight resemblance to H. P. Lovecraft's original story, although it's still pretty outre for 1965. (Sohl also penned a few Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Star Trek, and Invaders scripts, not to mention Frankenstein Conquers the World and Curse of the Crimson Altar, the latter also starring Karloff and loosely based on Lovecraft.) The "frightened townfolk" beginning is laughably heavy-handed, although the middle section where we're slowly fed details about the bizarre goings-on at the Witley mansion is actually fairly absorbing. Unfortunately any suspense and air of mystery that's been generated is completely dissipated by the obvious, schlocky "monster on the loose" climax (did anyone really think audiences would be fooled into thinking that stuntman in the plastic mask was Boris?). Twerpy Nick Adams (who apparently fancied himself leading man material and took his inevitable career slide harder than most) exudes little charisma as the hero, although Suzan Farmer (Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Rasputin the Mad Monk) is appealing as Karloff/Witley's daughter Susan. There are a number of other positives: Paul Beeson's cinematography and the Witley mansion sets look great, of course; Freda Jackson (Great Expectations, Brides of Dracula), Karloff, and Patrick Magee (Dementia 13, Clockwork Orange, Asylum, etc.) lend some class to the proceedings; the cosmic stones and eerie mutant plants are effectively realized; there are a few credible shocks; and the brief gore FX are surprisingly over-the-top for a mainstream film of the era. But as much as I would like to love this movie, it really needs a better finish. (Apparently a crowd-pleaser though, Die Monster Die played the drive-in circuit for years, often filling out dusk-till-dawn shock-o-rama bills.) Definitely worth a look for Karloff completists and AIP junkies (like myself) who will watch and usually enjoy virtually anything with their logo on it. Lovecraft cultists and mainstream movie fans expecting an intelligent denouement are bound to be disappointed. Haller adapted Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror for AIP five years later with similarly variable results.
MGM Home Video presents the movie in an unspectacular but quite serviceable package. The trailer is letterboxed to 2.35:1 with overall excellent image quality marred only by some light speckling. Sixteen chapter stops and French and Spanish subtitles are the only other extras. The source print used for the feature is not exactly stunning but still quite a bit above average. The brightness, contrast, detail, and color saturation of the anamorphic widesceen (2.35:1) transfer are excellent throughout. The image is not razor-sharp, but still acceptably crisp (the slight softness of some shots seems to be resident in the source print). Physical damage is limited to some sporadic very light speckling. Overall quite satisfying for the very reasonable price. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Jan Morrow (Doris Day) and Brad Allen (Rock Hudson) have never met, but they're sworn enemies because of one small appliance in their lives: the telephone. The two share a party line, and Jan is outraged over the amount of time Bill spends wooing women over the phone. A convenient triangle emerges when a client (Tony Randall) of Jan's--she's an interior decorator--falls in love with her and happens to be Brad's old college chum. When Brad makes the connection, he decides to try to court Jan himself, to make her more sympathetic to his phone woes. Of course, she'd never go for such a heel, so he passes himself off as Rex Stetson, a Texas rancher visiting New York. The ensuing tale, albeit predictable, is lots of fun, with some quick-witted dialogue and some clever use of split-screens for the phone calls.Thelma Ritter is hilarious as Jan's always-hung-over maid, Alma; and the pairing of Rock and Doris works beautifully, as always. --Jenny Brown ... Read more

Reviews (72)

Doris and Rock's best movie
Without a doubt, this film is the apex of the Rock and Doris screen collaboration. It's an absolute delight from the opening scenes until the credits roll. It's also a wonderful time machine of the 1950's, and even though I was born after this film was made, it always make me feel as if I experienced this decade first-hand. Doris Day had a charisma on screen that is indescribable and it's never been put to better use than here. You just want to hug her to bits, she's simply adorable and her character makes the film. Rock gives one of his best peformances and he was always better when Doris was around. They screen chemistry is fabulous, exceeded only by Tracy and Hepburn. It's obvious these were two people who liked each other and felt comfortable in each other's company. Thelma Ritter and Tony Randall give superb supporting performances.

Another wonderful thing about Pillow Talk is that it's still extremely funny. There are many scenes where you will laugh out loud. The entire interplay between Doris and Rock (when he's Rex Stetson) is hilarious and holds up beautifully. Another favorite scene is when Rock is confronted with his re-designed apartment, all at the hands of the scheming Doris.

They don't make 'em like this anymore. People of all ages should love this film. I watch it every few years and always find something new to admire or laugh about. A highly recommended and enjoyable movie. One word about the DVD version: I was disappointed in the quality, it's a little grainy. There are also not many extras, excepting the theatrical trailer.

A Comic Inspiration...To Me!
Of all the classic comedies that starred Doris Day and Rock Hudson, or the two stars with other co-stars, this remains my favorite.The legendary late Rock Hudson was at his peak in this romantic comedy, and who better to showcase his charms against, than quintessential girl-next-door, Doris Day. Hudson thrives on his ability to charm indeed, as a songwriter named Brad Allen. Brad is a love-em and leave-em kind of guy, who entertains a seemingly endless array of lovesick females at his well equipped bachelor pad. He also sings to them over the phone for hours on end, tying up the telephone party-line he shares with Jan Morrow, interior designer, enter a perturbed Doris Day. Every time Jan picks up the phone, she hears Brad sing "You're My Inspiration...", and always with a new girls' name attached to the end. Flabbergasted at his womanizing, she sends a phone company rep to have a word with Mr. Allen, only to find that she TOO has fallen for the tall dark and handsome playboy. .............. Jan tells her boyfriend of sorts played by the wonderful veteran comedy legend Tony Randall, about her dialing dilemma. Randall, as always, plays himself. He's neat, dapper and proper, as not only Jan's boyfriend, but Brad Allen's friend and boss as well. After extoling the virtues of Jan to Brad, and mentioning that she shares a party-line with "some nut", describing the singing phone routine, Brad is too curious to find out what Randall is so wild about. After Brad Allen finally glimpses Jan Morrow dancing at a club, and sees the other end of his party line is not the shrew he expected, he sets out for his sweetest conquest of all................ "Pillow Talk" is a timeless gem of classic comedy. Amazingly, it was considered quite risque in it's time. This only goes to show just how jaded the world and cinema has become since 1959. Rock Hudson was actually embarrassed, and nearly declined the role. We can speculate in retrospect why he felt that way, but no one could've been a better cad than Rock as Brad! The one and only Doris Day is sweet as sunshine, until the duped decorator delighfully disarms Mr. Allen's charms, leaving him, for the first time, really in love with someone other than himself. Thelma Ritter is amusing as Jan's perpetually hung-over housekeeper. It's a truly comic moment when Ritter counsels Brad over a few too many drinks on how to win Jan over, and Hudsons' head hits the table with a thud, while Ritter babbles on oblivous to her companions condition. Tony Randall is his classic prim self, and laugh out loud funny, as he storms into his own place to rescue Jan from the smug seducer huffing the line "At least you could have had the DECENCY...to bring your OWN champagne!" .............. There are too many wonderful moments in this film to cover them all. If you somehow haven't, it's far better for you to enjoy watching this long lost genre of the innocent, fun, fresh feel-good romantic comedy, and experience first hand, the pure delight it has to offer in abundance.

Wonderful comedy of 3 Hollywood Stars with amazing chemistry
I grew up knowing about Doris Day because my mother was/is a big fan of her comedies. When I first saw "Pillow Talk" I was a mere child (the film was made the same year I was born). Over the years I have watched it frequently, and now have it also on DVD. The film continues to entertain and delight me, even as my impressions have changed with time.

Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall had a wonderfully delightful chemistry amongst them! From the opening where Doris is humming "Pillow Talk" after the intro is completed, to the far-fetched but humourous end when Brad Allen (Rock) is trying to tell his friend Jonathan that he is going to be a father, the film is simply splendidly performed throughout! Credit must also be given to the script writers Stanley Shapiro & Maurice Richlin, director Michael Gordon & Producer Ross Hunter.

Even though I was born the year "Pillow Talk" was made, I didn't even know party lines existed until I visited a great-aunt in Northern Minnesota. I remember picking up the phone and hearing people talk. WHAT A DISCOVERY! It put the film in a new context for me when I saw it later (I am not sure if I had seen it before). I suspect that the younger generation might not understand even the notion of party lines in our age of cellular phones and internet. In this regard, the film takes us back to a less techonologically advanced time, but a time where life seemed somehow more relaxed.

I delight in seeing New York City, Central Park, and the American automobiles in the 1959 frame of context. One question that pops into my mind: did people in NYC really have such big apartments with a single woman living alone, and still affording a maid to come in each day??? Was the maid really paid enough to make a living from it? Did NYC really have that sort of "everyone knows everyone" feel such as when Kelly the police officer congratulates Brad Allen as he carries Jan Morrow from her apartment to his? I doubt it, but the fantasy is lovely!

Rock Hudson did a really fun impression of a Texan rancher up in New York. Tony Randall was extremely funny as the self-deprecating multi-millionaire in love with Jan, and Doris simply glowed from beginning to end. The last few times I have watched it, which has been recently, I have been struck by the sexual frankness it explored. Brad the playboy, always luring in the beautiful women, Jan the wonderfully moral interior decorator, who shakes her tush in a very sexy manner at a nightclub when Brad first spots her, and the budding romance that develops between the two when he becomes "Rex Stetson", a cowboy from Texas. "Rex" playing the moral companion who would do nothing to offend the proper Miss Morrow, while inside he is sizing her up and biting at the bit to ... well bite at her bits? When the gig is almost up, "Rex" innocently suggests that Jan join him for a weekend in Connecticut. While there was no actual sex occuring, it is made clear that it was about to happen when Jan figures out the ruse Brad Allen has played on her. Hollywood, perhaps afraid of the extent of this sexual frankness, has Miss Morrow crying at the diner where she and Jonathan stop for coffee, saying "I thought we were going to get married." Good girl image preserved!

Later, when Brad Allen conspires with Jan's boss to have her redecorate his apartment, the scene of the music beginning to play and the double bed automatically folding out with sheets in place left no doubt what sort of life Brad led prior to falling in love with Jan. He was a playboy through and through and measured success by the quantity of women he successfully "entertained" at home. Growing up believing that promiscuous sexuality was a by-product of the late 60's counter culture movement and "summer of love", it struck me how direct and unambigious this scene was. However, in a very moral and virginal way, Jan's virtues are protected until she hears that Brad wants to marry her and in fact, loves her very deeply.

I am particularly fond of stories where romance changes a person for the good. Being an adult and a male, however, I wonder if such a womanizing playboy could and would remain ever faithful to the woman he loves for all eternity and never feel the need to stray again. It is fun, however, to believe that love was the true redemptor and that Brad and Jan lived happily ever after. Isn't this the great promise of romance AND fairy tales.
In both genres, Pillow Talk succeeds beyond measure and I love it more each time I see it.

P.S. The music is great too. Love "Roly Poly", "Possess Me" and of course, the theme song!

funny!
This is truely one of the funnier Doris Day movies. I enjoy watching it. The first time I saw it was on tv and I just loved it. It's funny and it has a storyline that isn't tired and boring. I would reccomend this movie to anybody who likes musical comedies. The only thing I disliked a bout this movie was that Rock Hudson had to sing. He wasn't too great!

Pillow Talk
Rock Hudson and Doris Day always been one of my favorite classic couples of the 1950s films. Pillow Talk is one of my top titles for their team up. When an uptight decorator share a party line with a carefree playboy who would know that when they meet it would end up love at almost first sight. The late Tony Randall always seem to play the man stuck in the middle of the two in so many of their films that he's a terrfic straight man comic addition. ... Read more