Description

Pete, a young orphan, runs away to a Maine fishing town with his best friend--a lovable, sometimes invisible dragon named Elliott! When they are taken in by a kind lighthouse keeper, Nora (Helen Reddy), and her father (Mickey Rooney), Elliott's prank playing lands them in big trouble. Then, when crooked salesmen try to capture Elliott for their own gain, Pete must attempt a daring rescue. ... Read more

Reviews (67)

Reddy, Rooney and a dragon named Elliott
The seventies were rough on the family entertainment market. Disney, once untouchable in this respect, found itself in a bit of a quandry, the likes of which the theatrical release of "Pete's Dragon" didn't help. Most critics found it hammy and, with the exception of Elliott, the dragon, discarded the movie as just a trite piece of fluff. Well, it was and it is - but why does anything so light-hearted, gay and original have to be anything but? In the intervening decades "Pete's Dragon has gone on to become a much loved Disney classic and for good reasons. Helen Reddy, Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons and Jim Dale are inspired casting choices, giving a depth to their characters that greatly enhances the film. True, the film's score doesn't match the staying power of Mary Poppins but 'Candle on the Water' is a great romantic ballad, 'Brazzle Dazzle Day' is a fun-loving feel good song and 'Passamaquadi' is ultra camp played in the best sense. Not much to complain about with Disney's transfer of the film. It's anamorphic, near pristine and remixed to 5.1 stereo. One note - 'Candle On The Water', for some inexplicable reason, may suddenly freeze frame in the middle of the song on some players the first run through. If you are worried about this, play the song first to see if it does this and if so, simply still frame advance to the next track, then go back and replay the song. This solves the problem for all subsequent times you choose to play the song. As I say, I'm at a loss to explain why this problem sometimes occurs. Over all, this is a wonder film experience no matter your age. One only regrets that there is no making-of documentary included.

Pure Disney Musical Magic
There's something about live-action, animation Disney films that just seem to fascinate me. For one, Disney can go beyond two hours of a movie, and still keep it G-rated. Now that's pretty impressive to me. Most companies would probably have rated it PG, but not Disney. They try and it keep for the whole auidience. Which is what everyone needs to see in a film. And the special effects isn't bad either.

This film also includes the legendary Mickey Rooney. The story of Pete's Drangon is pretty simple. Pete is a young orphan, who is running away from his abopted parents, and end up in Maine, a fishing town with his best friend, Elliott. Sometimes you can see him, and other times, you can't. A kind lighthouse keeper, Nora played by (Helen Rebby), and her father (Mickey Rooney), Elliott's pranks gets them into a whole lot of trouble.

The music in this film is Ocar-nominated beautiful. Like "The Happist Home in These Hills," "It's Not Easy," "Candle on the Water," & "Brazzle Dazzle Day." A simply marvoulous soundtrack for the whole family.

Now you must know, that Pete's Dragon was made in the late 70s, which was long before computer technology was invented. You know, like CGI grahpics and so forth. Which is another thing that impressive me, how Disney can create these images and actually make them work. Pete's Dragon is a wonderful story, that will be treasured for the next generation to come.

Good movie for a Disney musical
I remember this movie from my childhood, so I bought it for my toddler. He loves it. My son points at the DVD case and grunts. He watches it everyday (for 2 weeks now). It must be the music and singing because the storyline is lackluster. Everytime he sees the dragon or hears a song he starts chattering away with his gibberish pre-talk. My preferred character is Doc Terminus - the con man / man of science. I give it 4 stars because I have watched it so many times the melodies are stuck in my head. I hope he gets a new "favorite" movie soon :)

One of Disney's Best Live Action Films!
This is one of those films that you never forget. I saw this movie when i was little and I am still a fan of it. Pete's Dragon is one of the first Disney films to use live action and animation together in a film. The story follows a boy who is on the run from his terrible adoptive family the Gogans (Shelley Winters, Rob Conaway)and his friend Elliot the dragon (voiced by Charlie Callas) who is sometimes invisible. Together, they are the best of friends until they come upon a quaint fishing town where they soon start to get into mischief.
Eventually Pete is taken in by Nora(Helen Reddy) a lighthouse keeper and her father(Mickey Rooney) where he soon becomes part of the family. But soon, the Gogans discover where he is living and are determined to get him back. There are many delightful performances in this film including Jim Dale who plays the terrible Dr. Terminus and his obnoxious side-kick Hoagie(played by red Buttons). The funny thing about this movie is that Mickey Rooney and Red Buttons are drunk through most of it. Lastly, I recommend this movie because of the music. This film has some of the best Disney songs. Most notably Helen Reddy's "Candle on the Water" and "There's Room For Everyone". Along with the singing and dancing, this is one great Disney film and it is not to be missed. If you've seen it, watch it again and if you haven't ,DO!

Woo-hoo! My kid likes it as much as I did!
Yes, the animation is dated. Yes, the plot is kind of corny BUT my daughter is just as enchanted as I was (and still am). You can't miss with this one! Pete's Dragon shows you what it means to be a kid with an unbelievable (only to the grown-ups) best friend who helps you out when you think that there's no one else left to care. The songs are still catchy and the baddies are still scary. The DVD is sooooo much better than VHS; and unlike my VHS copy there is no fear of it wearing out from over-playing. ... Read more

Description

Given the chance to live in a simulated underwater home for a month, a scientist convinces his family to take advantage of the offer.Once the family agrees to move in, underwater mayhem occurs! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

An Early Richard Dreyfuss Curio!!At last On DVD!!!
This is a great fun early Richard Dreyfuss classic comedy curio with a great cast!!At last on DVD,it's a must see!!!!!!!

Hey Little Gold Fish
I am just absolutely thrilled that this is on DVD.. I ended up buying a COPY, yes copy of this just so I could have it.. This is the best movie!! Out of sight tunes and I love the dolphins!!!Anyone can watch this movie and enjoy it!! Hooray!!! I still love the Goldfish song and use to sing it to my son.

Yippee! Finally on DVD!!
I am so happy that this great flick is finally on DVD!I was jumping up and down and rejoicing when I saw it was on DVD! Oh, this movie is a gem, a must see for all families and Richard Dreyfuss fans!

Guaranteed to give you "the bends"
What a fun movie! The concept of living in an underwater house is enough for a story, not to mention adding the top comedy actors of the day and super groovy 60's music ( little goldfish is my favorite ). This movie is good clean fun for the whole family. With plenty of action and laughs for everyone. This long lost classic will charm even today.. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When people think of James Dean, they probably think first of the troubled teen from Rebel Without a Cause: nervous, volatile, soulful, a kid lost in a world that does not understand him. Made between his only other starring roles, in East of Eden and Giant, Rebel sums up the jangly, alienated image of Dean, but also happens to be one of the key films of the 1950s. Director Nicholas Ray takes a strikingly sympathetic look at the teenagers standing outside the white-picket-fence '50s dream of America: juvenile delinquent (that's what they called them then) Jim Stark (Dean), fast girl Judy (Natalie Wood), lost boy Plato (Sal Mineo), slick hot-rodder Buzz (Corey Allen). At the time, it was unusual for a movie to endorse the point of view of teenagers, but Ray and screenwriter Stewart Stern captured the youthful angst that was erupting at the same time in rock & roll. Dean is heartbreaking, following the method acting style of Marlon Brando but staking out a nakedly emotional honesty of his own. Going too fast, in every way, he was killed in a car crash on September 30, 1955, a month before Rebel opened. He was no longer an actor, but an icon, and Rebel is a lasting monument. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (88)

Rebel Without a Cause
"Rebel Without A Cause" is one of the finest films ever created. The story is about a troubled youth that seeks redemption and a sense security through his family, but when they fail to do that he seeks comfort through friendship. James Dean, Natalie Woods, and the rest of the cast are great in this film, so it's no wonder why this movie is a classic. With great scenes like the chicken run car race or the arguements James has with his parents, you'll never want to turn off the T.V. The direction for this film seemed very powerful and had you in suspense throughout the film. One moment you'll be sad at some of James Dean's struggles in the movie, but then you'll be happy at some of his more happy scenes in the film. I think many of today's youth can identify with Dean's character, so making it that much more of a powerful film. Although the film does seem a bit paced at time, it doesn't ruin the experience. Overall, if you like movies, then you'll love this one.

To the reviewer who asked if there is a Two-Disc Edition DVD coming: Yes, a Two-Disc SE is coming out on May 31st 2005!

The milestone film about the juvenile delinquency!
James Dean became a mythical legend after this cult movie which has stood up the status level through the years and doesn't age a bit .

The astonishing presence of a selected group of promising young actors made of this movie a must see for every movie conosseur : Sal Mineo , Natalie Wood and Dennis Hopper signed their names without knowing in this immortal artwork .

Nicholas Ray , Samuel Fuller , Elia Kazan and Otto Preminger were the most minucious and outlaw film makers of that decade.

It seems so useless to recommend this item because it's more than obvious.

A Brilliant Movie Of Coming Of Age In The 50s
This classic James Dean movie is exceptional. James Dean is charismatic as Jim Stark playing a high school youth trying to fit in with a 50s peer group not willing to except an "outsider." Jim trys to defend his honor by playing chicken in a game where his opponent loses his life, but not by Jim's hand. There are only a handful of films that fit the standard of classic "old hollywood" with outstanding acting. This movie is one of the very best.

Straight Talking
This exceptional movie probably deserves even more of a cult status than it already has. Most people, when they think of RWC, remember it only as one of the few examples we have of James Dean's eerie charisma; but it's also an entertaining and powerful film, well written and acted, and the credit for the lasting impression of Dean's character should go as much to the filmmakers as to Dean himself (not that Dean himself doesn't deserve bales and bales of credit).

Today, a lot of elements of RWC might seem obvious; the generational gap in more apparent now than ever, and the attemps of children to compensate for a lack of parental attention has been a common theme for decades. Not only, though, should you consider that the film was groundbreaking when it was released, but what it has to _say_ about the issues between children and their parents is more relevant today than ever. The script deserves credit mainly for a couple of reasons:

1) The film doesn't have that 'made by kids' feel that's afflicted a lot of more recent movies about kids, such as Better Luck Tomorrow. It has a definite sense of perspective, as in the scene where Jim's father tells him: 'I'm trying to show you how foolish you are!--Ten years from now, this won't mean anything; you'll look back on it and laugh!' In a way, he's right, but that doesn't make Jim's feelings or the problems facing him any less urgent at the moment.

2) The kids in RWC are smart, and they have personalities beyond basic love-starved psychosis. Buzz, especially, is a surprisingly fully-drawn character, and some of Dean's best moments as Jim come when he's doing innocent things, like jumping up behind the fence to get Judy's attention. Finally, the scene in which Jim, Judy and Plato parody adult behavior is especially incisive and especially relevant today - kids are, in many ways, shrewder than they're given credit for, and their eyes are open.

3) There are moments of overacting (Jim shouting: "You're tearing me apart!"), but there's understatement too. At the beginning, for example, after Jim's father complains that he's bought everything for his son, and the audience is ready to write him off as ignorant and materialistic, he immediatley adds that he's shown Jim love and affection too - which may not be entirely true, but he's shown as being more than just a stock Bad Parent.

4) Things like 'no stab' knife fights and racing with stolen cars might seem almost tame by modern standards, but the display of self-destructive behavior in RWC still has some emotional power. The kids may doing things which kids today would consider silly, but their attitudes are sometimes genuinely frightening. Again Buzz is a great character. The gang mentality, too, with its shifting attitudes and its effect on personality, is very striking and very accurate.


In an era when parents seem to be trying harder than ever to understand their children, the problems have really remained the same. The consequences today might be more severe, but psychology and the human thrist for love are timeless, and RWC may well be timeless. In fact, beyond still being relevant, the film is an effective antidote to modern films which glorify and enshrine adolescent problems, when many of these things are just as pathetic, in the end, as a boy whose socks don't match.

Love James Dean always
This film is a true classic, fine film making at its best. James Dean is perfectly cast as Jim Stark the misunderstood rebel, Dean gives a charasmatic performance and is extremely convincing. Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo star as his girlfriend and tag a long pal, both give great perfromance as well. This film perfectly captures the feelings of every lonley soul out there who ache to belong. James Dean is absolutley amazing in his most memorable role, a truly terrific actor. CLASSIC film and star! 5 stars! ... Read more

Reviews (212)

Comedy For All Eternity
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is a comedy for all eternity. This is one of those big box, big budget, long-running-time, cameo-loaded, expensive, broad-canvas farces of the 60's that I love so much. Released in 1962, this was one of Stanley Kramer's greatest and last movies. This award-winning movie is a timeless masterpiece for the whole family.

After a bouncy, splashy Saul Bass animated title sequence, the story begins with a brief car chase in the California desert. Bank robber Smiler Grogan (Jimmy Durante) wrecks his car, and with his dying words reveals a secret about buried treasure to the seven strangers who stopped on the roadside. 'Look for the big W' in Santa Rosita, he says, and then he kicks the bucket.

After a brief attempt at cooperation, the treasure hunt is on and it's every man for himself, in four teams. Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett decide to take to the air but their pilot, Jim Backus, gets hammered on Old Fashioneds. Husband-and-wife Sid Caesar and Edie Adams can only find a biplane cropduster. The lone truck driver, Jonathan Winters, can't get gas. And his mother-in-law Ethel Merman fatally hampers Milton Berle, with his wife Dorothy Provine.

So all four teams scamper across the landscape, across the broad canvas of this movie, wound tight by desperate greed and calmly monitored by a Sergeant Culpepper, Spencer Tracy. This is the framing story for an amazing string of billed appearances and unbilled cameos so many that at last your senses are sort of dulled. Oh, it's Carl Reiner in the control tower. Oh, look, it's Stan Freberg, yeah. The best cameo, hands down, is Jerry Lewis, who comes barreling down Long Beach Boulevard in a moment of exuberant stupidity and runs over Spencer Tracy's hat.

Probably my favorite, I have so many, co-star was Terry Thomas who plays a vacationing Englishman in a rattling station wagon, who picks up Milton Berle. He's talkative. He prattles away (accurately) about why it is that the American male is positively preoccupied with booo-sums, and says things like, "I'll wager you anything you like, if American women stopped wearing brassieres, your whole national economy would collapse overnight!" This sequence, within the context of the movie so far, has a single funny moment when this whole vast farce might come alive, find its voice, and this circus might make sense - Terry-Thomas finds the tone for the rest of the movie. I find it compelling that the aesthetic success of all this footage, all these appearances, all this thoroughly American spectacle, suddenly pivots around a few fussy syllables about breasts. But once the moment passes, Terry-Thomas is efficiently neutralized and dismissed by Ethel Merman, and on we go.

The array of challengers eventually reach Santa Rosita, and several unexplainably humorous events occur. These I will not reveal to you and allow you to view the movie on your own time. I must add though, that if you do see this movie, reserve several hours. Like most from its decade its LONG... VERY LONG... But allow me to assure you, you wont be disappointed.

Madness is Genius
Eight traveling vacationers witness the sudden car-crash and slow final death of con-man Smiler Grogan in the hills above Palm Desert, Cal.. Grogan's dying words reveal the secret location of $350,000 hidden in Santa Rosita Park, near San Diego. This sparks a wild, hectic race for the dough. Pure greed,buried treasure, and car crashes. It's all here. "It's a Mad,Mad,Mad, Mad World" was the most successful movie directed by ace Stanley Kramer. All of the famous television and film comics from 1963 appear in this wild comedy. Only Bob Hope is missing. The cast includes Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers, Jerry Lewis, Joe E. Brown, The Three Stooges, Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante, Jack Benny, Jonathan Winters, and Spencer Tracy. Ernest Gold composed an original booming, wonderful soundtrack you'll be humming for days. At two hours and 41 minutes, "Mad World" is too long, but an incredible cast and mad-cap action propel the story along. This new MGM DVD is presented in widescreen anamorphic 2.35:1 aspect. The colors are crisp and vibrant. The "Mad World" DVD includes an excellent 1991 documentary with all the major surviving cast members. There's also 1 hour of "out-takes", faded and damaged, from the original Cinerama 70mm release. And there's two trailers. The year 2001 produced an obvious remake of "Mad World" called "Rat Race", a modest hit. Stanley Kramer and Spencer Tracy made 4 classic films together. The last was the inspiring "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" in 1967. In ill health, sadly, Tracy died just days after shooting ended. Stanley Kramer himself died in Feb. 2001. His genius is now gone. His legacy lies before you.

It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad DVD
I would give this DVD 5 stars if all the movie was here, but it isn't, hence 3 stars. There's no excuse for this considering that no major restoration has been attempted here, the storage capabilities of DVDs are huge, and MGM has already released the full-length movie on VHS. The deleted scene feature is a mess. Watching the scenes seperately is tedious and not much fun. The least they could do would be to put the deleted scenes in the order that they appeared in the original film. The third and fourth scenes appear to be exactly the same as do others later on. Sometimes the scene appears the same only zoomed in. Others scenes have no sound. Some of the last scenes go on and on up to 10 minutes and contains everything that is included in the feature except for very minor snippets of dialogue. Sometimes you can't detect anything new, like in the money dividing proposal scene.

I can see why MGM would want to keep their pristine 35mm print whole and transfer that to DVD but perhaps they should have included a 2nd disc and a 2nd version that patched together all the missing scenes, no matter what condition, and reconstructed the film as best as they could to the longest originally released version.

MGM, when you finally "Special Edition" this movie offer a rebate with the proof of purchase from this inferior edition!

Best, Most Memorable Comedy Ever Made !!
I originally saw the movie in '63. I was 8. Dad started my Birthday party with it. After the movie, Dad drove the route of the Santa Monica portion of the car chase(yes, there really was a "Big W").
Just finished watching the movie on Turner TV. The narrator came on after the movie and said that THE ORIGINAL WAS 5 HOURS long(Just too much "good stuff"). The movie studio had it edited to the shortened current version of three hours.
Back in '63 it was a terrific movie-In '04 it is still a terrific movie.

An all star cast of comics, great comedy

Director: Stanley Kramer
Format: Color
Studio: Mgm/Ua Studios
Video Release Date: September 26, 1995

Cast:

Spencer Tracy ... Capt. T.G. Culpeper
Milton Berle ... J. Russell Finch
Sid Caesar ... Melville Crump, DDS
Buddy Hackett ... Benjy Benjamin
Ethel Merman ... Mrs. Marcus
Mickey Rooney ... Ding 'Dingy' Bell
Dick Shawn ... Sylvester Marcus
Phil Silvers ... Otto Meyer
Terry-Thomas ... Lt.Col. J. Algernon Hawthorne
Jonathan Winters ... Lennie Pike
Edie Adams ... Monica Crump
Dorothy Provine ... Emeline Marcus-Finch
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson ... Second cab driver
Jim Backus ... Tyler Fitzgerald
Ben Blue ... Biplane pilot
Joe E. Brown ... Union official
Alan Carney ... Police sergeant
Chick Chandler ... Detective outside Chinese laundromat
Barrie Chase ... Sylvester's girlfriend
Lloyd Corrigan ... The Mayor
William Demarest ... Police Chief Aloysius
Andy Devine ... Sheriff of Crockett County
Selma Diamond ... Ginger Culpeper
Peter Falk ... Third cab driver
Norman Fell ... Detective at Grogan's crash site
Paul Ford ... Col. Wilberforce
Stan Freberg ... Deputy sheriff
Louise Glenn ... Billie Sue Culpeper
Leo Gorcey ... First cab driver
Sterling Holloway ... Fire Chief
Edward Everett Horton ... Mr. Dinckler
Marvin Kaplan ... Irwin
Buster Keaton ... Jimmy the boatman
Don Knotts ... Nervous man
Charles Lane ... Airport manager
Mike Mazurki ... Miner
Charles McGraw ... Lt. Matthews
Cliff Norton ... Reporter
Zasu Pitts ... Switchboard operator Gertie
Carl Reiner ... Tower controller at Rancho Conejo
Madlyn Rhue ... Secretary Schwartz
Roy Roberts ... Policeman outside Irwin & Ray's Garage
Arnold Stang ... Ray
Nick Stewart ... Migrant truck driver
Joe DeRita ... Fireman
Larry Fine ... Fireman
Moe Howard ... Fireman
Sammee Tong ... Chinese laundryman
Jesse White ... Radio tower operator at Rancho Conejo
Jimmy Durante ... Smiler Grogan
Roy Engel ... Patrolman/Police radio voice unit F-14
Nicholas Georgiade ... Detective at Grogan's crash site
Stacy Harris ... Police radio voice unit F-7
Don C. Harvey ... Policeman in helicopter
Allen Jenkins ... Police officer
Tom Kennedy ... Traffic cop
Harry Lauter ... Police dispatcher
Ben Lessy ... George the steward
Jerry Lewis ... Man who runs over hat
Bob Mazurki ... Eddie (miner's son)
Jack Benny ... Man in car in desert
Eddie Ryder ... Air traffic control tower staffer
Paul Birch ... Policeman
Doodles Weaver ... Dinckler's Hardware Store clerk
Stanley Clements ... Detective in squad room
Bobo Lewis ... Pilot's wife
Minta Durfee ... Bit Part

Intended to be the comedy to end all comedies, with a cast including virtually all the name comedians at the time.

Jimmy Durante plays a guy who is in a fatal auto accident, but before he dies, tells 5 bystanders where there is $350,000 hidden under a "W", whuch leads to a chase to find the money.

Meanwhile, Capt. T.G. Culpeper (Spencer Tracy) is aware of the stolen money and he and his policemen observe the chase with interest through the desert, mountains, and along the California coast, with the contestants using aircraft, cars, trucks, a bicycle and every method of transportation in their attempt to be first to reach the money.

Tracy was ill when the film was shot, and so only worked four hours per day. The long shots and physical stuff was performed by stand-ins.

This is a fun movie. If there is a criticism, it is that the comedy is perhaps overdone. With so many top comedians, there is certainly no dearth of funny lines, pratfalls, and laughs--that's for sure.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

... Read more

Description

In one of moviedom's most influential roles, James Dean is Jim, the new kid in town whose loneliness, frustration and anger mirrored those of postwar teens -- and reverberates 40 years later.Before the feature are three Behind-the-Cameras segments from the Warner Bros. Presents TV series (including a "safe-driving" interview withdrawn from airing following Dean's September 30, 1955 death) about Rebel Without a Cause.A documentary segment exclusive to this Warner Bros. Classics edition contains recently recovered screen tests and outtakes that show intriguing variations on what ended up in the final film. ... Read more

Reviews (80)

Quintessential punk rebel
This is a great movie. James Dean plays the quintessential teenage punk rebel. He is the sensitive soul misunderstood by parents and the society that surrounds him. His efforts to fit in with other students fail and this leads to problems. Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo turn in realistic portrayals of teenagers without a cause. This film shows a darker side of the '50s than the vision espoused by the Happy Days sitcom. These kids are feeling a lot of alienation and angst. This is Seattle grunge 40 years before Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain. The pain they feel is very real. The screenplay by Stewart Stern reveals great sympathy towards these kids. They are good kids who have gone bad because they don't fit in. People always tell you that the high school years are the best years of your life. That isn't true for all kids, however, as this film poignantly illustrates. It is heartbreaking but powerful. It is vintage James Dean and becomes more wrenching due to Dean's early death. One can only guess how good his career would have been if he hadn't died so soon.

1950s Utopia?
This will always remain one of my favorite films of all time. After seeing it I can finally understand the reasons why James Dean has such a following. He is what everyone either envisions himself as or wishes to be. In my mind, you can't quite label him an anti-hero in this movie. You have to show his character respect. In my mind, what makes this film great is what you might find fault with in other films. At times it seems overly melodramatic and so emotional it seems painful to watch. But this ain't no "Titanic." Somehow, all this intense emotion is what gives the film its power. When you are in high school everything seems as though it is a life or death situation. Who can honestly say that they weren't utterly self-absorbed at that age and even in the present? All the typical themes are included such as unrequited love, fitting in, complex family relations, and violence(today kids might have guns but name another scene as riveting and dangerous as the switchblade fight). The additions to the widescreen version are very worthwhile and offer some extra insight. Is it just me or does Natalie Wood seem on edge during her interview? The Dean "safe driving" interview is also rather interesting if not kind of sick.

True Classic.
This movie is one of the best however one reviewer had a lot of negativity about this movie do not listen to him this movie is not crap. For one James dean is not wearing a Leather Jacket on the Cover is happens to be his Red... Jacket in black and white.Anyhow the story line was very authentic Natalie Wood is just great in this Movie Sal Mineo Is Great and James Dean As always Is Exceptional.I recommend this movie trust me you will not be Disapointed.

These Rebels DID have a cause
For all that the title is such a classic one, it is rather inaccurate. And possibly, it was meant to be. Maybe a catchy title to draw in the crowds or a deliberate lie to show later that their cause, seeming meaningless, was a valid one. And in the end, this film is so poignant! Not a "dated" film at all, but a lesson to the generations of teenagers before and afterwards. Teenage angst has not changed in the last 50 years, and the reasons have not become any less meaningful. "Rebel Without a Cause" offers a very truthful look into the lives of teenagers, the reasons they rebel and gives a reason to why rebeliousness should not be taken so lightly.

The movie begins with all three of the main characters Jim (James Dean) Judy (Natalie Wood) and Plato (Sal Mineo) in a police station in the wee hours of the morning. All are dressed in obviously middle and upper-class clothes but have been picked up on the street for wandering, drunkeness and violence. The title of the movie immediately gives itself away, Judy is upset because her father was rough with her, Plato's father left him and his mother is never at home...
Then we meet Jim's parents. A submissive father, sharp-tongued mother and uptight grandmother. True, they may give him "many things" but the tension, strain and ignorance of Jim's needs are, as he says, "tearing me apart!"

We find out in the course of the movie, as Jim, Judy and Plato come together, that they are really good kids who are only looking for love and acceptance. We see how little their parents understand of them and how they are rebelling against the ignorance that has been starving them for years!

And truly, this is my FAVORITE James Dean movie, I think his portrayal of Jim is really a mirror of his own life with his biological Dad and some of the kids he grew up with. His acting is just so true, real, passionate and believable. This movie is my reasoning for why he is still such a legend. Truly, one of the greatest actors of all time. And a fantastic movie to boot!

Great 50's fun.
This film was first released in 1955 and stars James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. It was directed by Nicholas Ray and is probably one of the best, and most remembered movies from the 1950's.

"Rebel Without a Cause" begins in the local police station, where Jim (James Dean) has been arrested for drunkeness, Judy (Natalie Wood) has been picked up for walking around before dawn after a fight with her father, and the disturbed Plato (Sal Mineo) has been brought in for killing a puppy. Jim is new to the place (his parents are always moving) and finds it hard to fit in at school. He gets in a fight, which later leads him to have a chicken race with one of the gang bullies. Jim, Judy and Plato are brought back together again at the chicken race, but it ends in trouble. While Jim gets away unharmed, his opponent is killed when he gets caught in the car and goes flying straight off of the cliff. While being chased by the dead boy's friends, Jim, Judy, and Plato end up at a deserted mansion, to hide out, away from their parents and the trouble looking for them out on the streets. But still, it does not end nicely.

The film may seem dated to some people, but it still remains a brilliant movie to a lot of others.

Now for the DVD:
The film is presented in widescreen format and the print is brilliant. The sound is in 5.1 Dolby Digital. The extras include Trailers, behind-the-scenes documentary, and a few segments from TV Documentaries with Gig Young, including the 'Drive Safely' interview. Along with a few other little things aswell.

Overall, I think this is an excellent presentation for a great movie and I highly recommend this DVD.

PLEASE NOTE: Refers to Region 2 release, which appears to be the same as this Region 1 release, by the same company. ... Read more

Amazon.com

We can safely call it one of the most notorious films in Hollywood history:Myra Breckenridge, the wild, tasteless, legendary disaster. Sprung from a novel by Gore Vidal, Myra tells the tender tale of a man (damply played by film critic Rex Reed) who has a sex-change operation and goes to Hollywood as a woman--played by Raquel Welch. Mae West creaked out of retirement to play a man-hungry agent (one of her meals is young Tom Selleck), and John Huston is an aging cowboy star, Myra's nemesis. To say the movie endorses the destruction of sex roles in modern society would be giving the rampant incoherence too much credit. Old film clips, plus footage (all too apt!) of atomic bomb tests are spliced into the action, to puerile effect. Almost everybody involved with the film disowned it, especially a horrified Vidal. Is there a cult for this movie? They can have it. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Not a "cult classic", but almost...
It's amazing that a studio backed this mess of a story/film and released it, thinking that it would be a hit among anyone. This premise is just too out there for the average, "make me feel better and affirm my own biases" film-goer. With that said, because it's sooooooooo over the top and messy, it's quite wonderful. Mae West gets off some great one-liners, and my god, any film that can feature Mae West surrounded by dancing black men as she's rapping (YES, I said 80yr old Mae West RAPPING!!!)truly is something wonderful! Oh, and miss Welch has maybe the second best bed-hair in cinema (#1 is Miss Deneuve in Belle Du Jour, tres parfait bien sur!). Myra Brekinridge isn't for everyone, but approached with the right spirit, you'll love it!

WHAM! BAM!
..... and 'Thank ya'all'

This extravaganzic curiosity made it to DVD in various guises ....this one ain't bad. BUT I'd visit the novel before plunging into this somewhat contemporary vision of Hollywood across the hills ...[nuffin's really changed!]

RAQUEL/REX are suitably paired with 'his and & her' accoutremonts .... painfully coiffed and coutoured for this 'vision' as is LEGEND MAE WEST ~ still firing those 'zingerz ' from various anatomical points, but al least the darling diva was not 'wired for sound' as she was later in "Sextet" - a babe sorely missed - also her grand wit and style!

Other points of note - babyfaced [yes he was] TOM SELLECK is part of Mae's entourage, and an almost unrecognisable FARRAH FAWCETT debuts as the love-object's [the rather dim young hunk]
aspiring love .... whatever happened to the boy? Possibly still 'tied up' in Mae's suite at the El Royale ....

Not forgetting a brave and quite funny JOHN HUSTON .... nice to see this other legend of showbiz spoof tinseltown.

NOPE, THIS ONE's A QUAINT HALLUCINATION - worth driving through occasionally - with the appropriate gear!

Not a family movie!
Fox has provided a beautiful widescreen transfer of this cult classic. The sound is great also. There are two audio commentaries. One by the director Mike Sarne and the other by star Raquel Welch. Some have said that director Sarne is settling old scores within his commentary, but really he is only setting the record straight. His is clearly the more insightful effort. Raquel takes herself and the movie too seriously and at the end of her spiel, with all of it's pseudo-intellectual pretensions, even admits that she doesn't know what she's talking about and is "here for the laughs." She seems put out that the movie didn't have mass appeal and wasn't a crowd pleaser, which is one of the reasons I find it so endearing. The AMC documentary on the "making of" is very interesting as well. It is included on the disc. All in all, this is a very good buy and an excellent example of what dvd is all about: Top quality sound and picture plus interesting extras. The movie itself, like anything else, is a matter of taste. If you like whacked-out late '60s/early '70s cinema like "The Magic Christian", The Monkees' "Head", "Beneath the Valley of the Dolls", "Candy", "Casino Royale", then you'll dig this flick. People (including Raquel) just don't seem to understand the premise which is: A gay film critic has an accident and while in a coma DREAMS he is a woman in Hollywood. When he wakes up (in the original BLACK & WHITE finale) he screams "Where are my t*ts?" Yes folks, the movie is about a dream and when was the last time you had a dream that wasn't a little weird and disjointed? But don't get me wrong... a lot of people will still find this film way too "out there" and it is definately a "culter." Not for squares or kids! Originally rated "X". Needless to say, I LOVE IT!!

THE TOP THREE ACTORS SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED OSCAR NOMINATIONS
I have wanted to see Myra Breckinridge since it came out in 1970.

Indeed, it has been a difficult movie to find anywhere.

I was thrilled when it came on DVD just recently.

When I first watched it, I was sort of disappointed. I expected more. What? I don't know. So I had to give it a chance. After viewing it once, I then watched it with Raquel's commentary, and then with the Director's commentary.

Raquel gave a great performance, as did John Huston (Buck Loner)

and Mae West (Letitia Van Allen) was quite attractive in this film. This was her first color film ever, and after a long hiatus from the silver screen.

There was alot of anymosity on this set, and I fault the Director Michael Sarne for this. If he hadn't been so full of himself, this might have worked better. I don't know who's in control of the script, or changes in the script, but this constant rewriting of the story didn't make matters better for the actors.

I think the acting is top rate, and the actors deserve credit for taking lemons and making them into lemonade.

I wrote to Raquel Welch recently to tell her alot of this and more, and I mean what I say.

And maybe she's right.

In the commentary I believe she wished that John Huston had been the director. I agree with her on this. Someone who might have cared about people would have made this difficult and abstract story a success on film.

mire breckinridge
With the exception of sharp widescreen color transfer and the nifty AMC Backstory featurette, this "Special Edition" DVD is as big a botch as "Myra Breckinridge" itself. Neither commentary is particularly enlightening--director Michael Sarne primarily seems intent on settling old scores with Gore Vidal Rex Reed, and the studio, while Raquel Welch's arch (and largely meaningless) asides seem to suggest she's revisiting the film over a bottle of wine. The only differences between the theatrical and "special" versions are a black-and-white ending in the latter, and the odd substitution of a Oliver Hardy film clip (he's seen opening an exploding champagne bottle) for the cannon fire clip that followed Rex Reed's auto/erotic climax in the release version. Even stranger, both clips are preceded a snippet of bubbly music not present when the film was originally released or broadcast on TV. (My guess is that this is a musical cue left over from the notorious excised clip of Shirley Temple shooting herself in the face while milking a goat.) Still, to anyone who's even vaguely interested this weird curio is worth a look. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A step in the right direction
Disney has done an admirable transfer on this movie....something that is sadly lacking on many of its live action features. The picture is beautiful...probably the best I've seen thus far from Disney. (I'm not sure what the other review meant concerning a "fake widescreen", as I found all the original picture information to be there.)

The real negative about this release? NO EXTRAS! Nothing! Not even a trailer. Frankly, this is a movie that begs for explanation of how certain special effects were performed.

But at least I'll give Disney credit on this one for tranferring a picture the right way. Now if they'd only do it for "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes", and other great old movies.

Classic Disney
This is classic Disney at its best, and yes, people, this is in widescreen! Enjoy!

I feel cheated!
All Disney did to make this DVD widescreen was to matte over the top and bottom of the picture throughout the entire movie! You call this widescreen? I could chop off the top and bottom from the video and get the same result! Not only are we missing the top and bottom on this DVD, but also the sides from the REAL widescreen.

Clever Disney comedy -- in widescreen
Formulaic, but fun Disney comedy from the 1970's. Thanks to the decision makers at Disney Home Video for releasing this film in widescreen -- let's hope that all future Disney films are released in their original theatrical ratios and that prior releases (like Blackbeard's Ghost, The Moonspinners, and Babes in Toyland) will be re-released in widescreen.

Good news, it IS in widescreen
To those reviewers who have given this DVD a * rating because it isn't advertised as being in widescreen, rest assured. I have this DVD and I must assure everyone that it IS IN WIDESCREEN, and the DVD transfer print is crisp and technically superior. Believe me, I'm with all of you about Disney blowing it with most new releases, but "Now You See Him, Now You Don't," "Herbie Rides Again," and "Those Calloways" are all available in widescreen, so please buy these up and send a message to the Disney dolts.

As for the film, "Now You See Him..." is the second and best in Disney's college "formula" series starring Kurt Russell as science student Dexter Reilly, the late, great Joe Flynn as hapless Medfield College's hilariously uptight Dean Higgins and the late Cesar Romero (the Joker in the "Batman" TV series) as crooked banker A.J. Arno. In this version, Dexter stumbles (again) into an invisibility formula that Higgins enters into wealthy philanthrophist Forsythe's (the late, great Jim Backus) science contest, whose award money will pay off Medfield's mortgage for another year. Unfortunately, Arno wants the college land to open up a casino, so when he finds out about the formula, he decides to steal it in order to assure the college will go into foreclosure. So, essentially, it's the same plot as the other two films in the series, but the silliness just seems fresher and better paced this time. And the invisibility effects are impressive for the time, although next to "Hollow Man" they're pretty weak (although "Now You See Him..." is ten times better than that horrible Paul Verhoeven botch). Especially engaging is a madcap chase sequence involving an invisible car.

The cast is terrific: Flynn, Romero and Backus give their all to enliven paper-thin characters and Michael McGreevey is memorable as Dexter's dim-witted friend Richard Schuyler. But this is Russell's film the whole way and it's easy to see why he is one of the few former child actors to have a vital and important adult film career: he's charismatic and wonderful in his best-known Disney role, and gives his all to assure a good time is had by all. Special credit also to director Robert Butler and composer Robert F. Brunner, who contributes another of his bouncy '70's Disney scores, which are much more entertaining than a lot of the heavily orchestrated, pretentious (and forgettable) Oscar-winning scores of the era.

"Now You See Him, Now You Don't" isn't representative of the best Disney films, but it is funny and fast-paced and refreshingly free of offensive racial stereotyping, which marred many a Disney film of the time, including the sequel "The Strongest Man in the World." And, finally, one of these films gets a decent DVD treatment, although the other two films in the series, "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" and "Strongest" are only available in tired fullscreen prints.

But at least they got this one right. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Would be a disaster if not for Pam
Pam Grier's magnetic personality and spunky character pretty much save this otherwise outrageously stupid and trashy film. Yaphet Kotto is pretty good too, in a low-key way. Other than that, it has all the stuff that keeps Blaxploitation films form being taken seriously (if they were ever meant to be in the first place). Horrbile acting, atrocious dialogue, cornball story, poorly staged fight scenes, ad nauseum. My parents forbade me from seeing this when it first came out (I was 11 at the time). Now I see why.

Yaphet Kotot does Comedy!?!
"Friday Foster"... Not as good as "Coffy" or "Foxy Brown", but better than "Sheeba, Baby". Pam is good as always, with lots of fairly gratuitous nudity (always a way to turn a bad movie to fair :-)

My big surprise was Yaphet Koto, who gets most of the best lines, and is funny throughout the film. I am always used to him as the stone-faced cop, a la "Across 110th Street" and "Homicide". If I remeber correctly, he gets off the "I'm getting too old for this sh!t," line years before "Lethal Weapon" made it a cliché.

Definitely worth watching for Blaxploitation or Pam Grier fans. If you are not familiar with Pam's earlier work, "Coffy" or "Foxy Brown" should definitely come first.

Pam Grier in Her Lighter Mood
Pam Grier of the 70s will be remembered as Coffy, tough, sexy, no-nonsense heroine who blows her enemy's head away with a shotgun, but as a movie, for all its good, funky soundtrack, "Coffy" was dark and violent. Then, it is a welcome opportunity for her fans to see lighter side of her in "Foxy Brown," in which Pam Grier plays an assistant camera artist who finds some conspiracy going on.

The story has been already told elsewhere, so I won't repeat it here. All I can say is, it is not particularly original, but good enough to keep us interested. But what we should notice in "Friday Foster" is a group of well-cast, talented actors. In addition to Pam Grier, who this time round goes with less tears and nudity, and more smile, is helped by Yaphet Kotto (Michael Clarke Duncan of the 70s) but it is Eartha Kitt as "madame" who steals the show with her flamboyant speech at fashion show. Actions are done in a rather bland way, but still watchable, and watch out Pam Grier steal a black hearse to chase the hitman; she later hits another guy in the head with a bottle full of milk!! Especially recommended to beginners of the genre as starting point of blaxploitaion films.

Slam, Bam, Thank You, Pam!
There are only two special features on this DVD, and they both belong to Pam Grier. And that's reason enough to buy it! She has two nude scenes in this lackluster blaxploitation thriller that largely fails to thrill, and her sparkle is the only spark here. A good cast, including Jim Backus, Earha Kitt, Carl Weathers, Scatman Crothers, and Yaphet Kotto, is wasted here, but they try their best with what they're given. The movie is in widescreen and the image quality is excellent. There's the movie trailer and a scene and language selector, and that's it. For '70s blaxploitation genre fans and Pam Grier fans only, but that's quite a large audience!

Good Solid Film
Pam Grier Is Solid in this Film&She Looks as Fine as Always.This Film Captures The 70's Vibe Really well.ALot OF Action&Laughs through out.Godfrey Cambridge had me Rolling.After watching Him in Watermellon MAn or Cotton Comes To Harlem this is a Real Interesting Role.Carl Weathers went on to do Rocky 1,2&3.Yaphet Kotto a Great Actor who Has Done well in Both T.V.&Film.&Ted Lange who Played Issac on The Love Boat.it was a Very Important Time Period For Black Films.FOrget what The Critics Say these Films Kept Hollywood Rolling&Paved The Way for The Future.Worth Seeking Out.Their has Never Been Another Actress Like PAM GRIER.SHE IS ONE OF A KIND. ... Read more

Description

A martial arts classic starring Chuck Norris as John T. Booker, a Vietnam Vet whose war actions have landed him at the top of the CIA's hit list. Now only a beautiful Senate investigator can help him unravel a treacherous plot - and maybe help keep him alive. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Norris's first big hit.
This low-budget 'gem' from 1977 (I even remember there being a novelization, got to look for it) was a modest hit and pretty much made Chuck Norris a star. Playing John T. Booker (the way the credit is listed mades me wonder if there would be more John T. Booker movies, alas not to be), Norris is a former CIA commando whose dark past comes back to haunt him when the politician that set him up in a raid turned death trap needs to erase that unpleasent part of history. This is an old school action movie, back when they bothered to have plot and mystery prior to the fist fights and car chases, and it will probably bore many expecting wall to wall kung-fu action. Nothing happens until nearly an hour into the movie, then the pay off begins. Good Guys Wear Black was sold on the strength of one big stunt, Norris (or a double) leaping onto a car and kicking through the windshield to get at the assassin driving. It was impressive then, today it is routine. As I said, it is a low budget movie, one with Southern California locations filling in for Vietnam (sandy trails and eucalyptus trees in Vietnam???) as well as East Coast locations. Pretty giggle inducing. But the movie still works when watched in the context of its era (70s exploitation) and director Ted Post (Hang 'Em High, Magnum Force, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, etc.) keeps the movie professional looking, at least. One shocking bit of trivia, one of the movie's screenwriters is Children of A Lesser God author Mark Medoff. Wow. Recommended only to Norris fans on a nostalgia kick.

not one of Chuck's better efforts
Whew! This one's a stinker. Even if you're a Chuck fan, this one just doesn't measure up. The film is poorly made and put together; sequences in the night in Vietnam are so dark you can hardly see what's going on (but that might have been good...). There's actually not much action; this was supposed to be more of a "drama." If you want a good Chuck movie, stick with Lone Wolf McQuade or An Eye for an Eye.

Moderately good Chuck Norris film
If you like Chuck Norris films, especially of the 70's and 80's you'll probably like this one. The DVD was unrated but I'd say it's about a PG-13. The DVD allows chapter access, English, French and Spanish subtitles and some bio info on the cast. No theatrical trailer was present. The film is generally well-preserved (no widescreen) but the colors fade in and out a little bit (probably the cinematography was a bit inconsistent).

The film is definitely *very* 1970's. That means lotsa keyboard instrumental jazz music scored with the action, 3-piece suits, undercranked camera shots to make cars look like they're speeding (giving unnatural jerky motion), and half-witted dialogue. And Anne Archer, while lovely in the film, wears some awful-looking sunglasses (egads!).

While there are several martial arts fight scenes (what else?) they are not nearly as sophisticated as those in 1973's Bruce Lee classic "Enter the Dragon" (this is a 1978 film).

Major John Booker (Chuck!) leads a top secret team into Vietnam in 1973 to rescue some American POW's (boy, you never see THAT in a Chuck Norris movie, eh?) ... ahem ... Well, they were set up and several men died. Booker takes the loss philosophically and takes up test-driving Porsches and teaching Political Science at the local college (whatta guy!). Ah, but then a lovely young lady lawyer shows up and starts reciting all the top secret details of the 1973 mission to Booker. Booker must figure out what she's all about. At the same time all of Booker's buddies who survived the disastrous operation start dropping like flies.

James Franciscus is the up-and-coming Secretary of State and boy does he cuss a lot (probably after seeing the script!), hence my PG-13 rating. And he's a very baaaaad man. Jim Backus (Gilligan's Island!) shows up as a protective doorman. And the ubiquitious Soon-Tek Oh is here. Not a bad film, on a par with other Chuck flicks such as "Hero and the Terror", "Invasion U.S.A." and "Code of Silence".

Will Major Booker discover the truth and stop the bad guys? ... hmmm ... well, I'll let you buy the movie and find out ... (as if you couldn't guess) ... While you're waiting to find out, you can count all the green automobiles in the film ...

There must have been a lot of automobiles painted green in 1978 because there's a green car in nearly every street scene (all shades!). Even the toy car at one of the politician's home is green. Generally OK, and we can overlook some of Norris' acting since it's one of his first films. It is hard to forgive the paisley robes, Harvest Gold appliances, and the wide collars on the shirts, but hey, that was the 1970's.

Diplomacy is not always that clean
A simple film about the aftermath of the Vietnam War. A diplomat negociates the destruction of a special unit of the CIA, the Black Tigers, at the end of the war. So they are tricked on a fake mission. Yet five manage to escape and survive. But the diplomat is going to become the Secretary of State and the five survivors are the argument of some, in the wings, to blackmail the diplomat. So they have to disappear. But one of them and a CIA executive say no and put a stop to the killings and to the career of the diplomat. A perfect film about what politics are really about for some politicians : careerism and nothing else.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

A Guilty Pleasure-I LIke this Poorly Made Film
This film, directed by Mike Post (Magnum Force) was Chuck Norris' second lead-starring role. It starts out as a movie of politcal intrigue put sputters on the direction. In the scene wear the plane blows up, one can see that right before the explosion, the plane is not even there. Just a small example of poor editing.

I do, however, love this movie. The few fights scenes in this pitcure are fun (airport and parking lot) and it is one of Norris' better acting performance. The "jumping into the car scene" is actually Chuck's brother Arren. The other acting performances are also very good (Ann Archer, Lloyd Hayes, and Dana Andrews to name a few). The Chuck Norris fan may want to add this film to your collection. ... Read more

Reviews (212)

Comedy For All Eternity
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is a comedy for all eternity. This is one of those big box, big budget, long-running-time, cameo-loaded, expensive, broad-canvas farces of the 60's that I love so much. Released in 1962, this was one of Stanley Kramer's greatest and last movies. This award-winning movie is a timeless masterpiece for the whole family.

After a bouncy, splashy Saul Bass animated title sequence, the story begins with a brief car chase in the California desert. Bank robber Smiler Grogan (Jimmy Durante) wrecks his car, and with his dying words reveals a secret about buried treasure to the seven strangers who stopped on the roadside. 'Look for the big W' in Santa Rosita, he says, and then he kicks the bucket.

After a brief attempt at cooperation, the treasure hunt is on and it's every man for himself, in four teams. Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett decide to take to the air but their pilot, Jim Backus, gets hammered on Old Fashioneds. Husband-and-wife Sid Caesar and Edie Adams can only find a biplane cropduster. The lone truck driver, Jonathan Winters, can't get gas. And his mother-in-law Ethel Merman fatally hampers Milton Berle, with his wife Dorothy Provine.

So all four teams scamper across the landscape, across the broad canvas of this movie, wound tight by desperate greed and calmly monitored by a Sergeant Culpepper, Spencer Tracy. This is the framing story for an amazing string of billed appearances and unbilled cameos so many that at last your senses are sort of dulled. Oh, it's Carl Reiner in the control tower. Oh, look, it's Stan Freberg, yeah. The best cameo, hands down, is Jerry Lewis, who comes barreling down Long Beach Boulevard in a moment of exuberant stupidity and runs over Spencer Tracy's hat.

Probably my favorite, I have so many, co-star was Terry Thomas who plays a vacationing Englishman in a rattling station wagon, who picks up Milton Berle. He's talkative. He prattles away (accurately) about why it is that the American male is positively preoccupied with booo-sums, and says things like, "I'll wager you anything you like, if American women stopped wearing brassieres, your whole national economy would collapse overnight!" This sequence, within the context of the movie so far, has a single funny moment when this whole vast farce might come alive, find its voice, and this circus might make sense - Terry-Thomas finds the tone for the rest of the movie. I find it compelling that the aesthetic success of all this footage, all these appearances, all this thoroughly American spectacle, suddenly pivots around a few fussy syllables about breasts. But once the moment passes, Terry-Thomas is efficiently neutralized and dismissed by Ethel Merman, and on we go.

The array of challengers eventually reach Santa Rosita, and several unexplainably humorous events occur. These I will not reveal to you and allow you to view the movie on your own time. I must add though, that if you do see this movie, reserve several hours. Like most from its decade its LONG... VERY LONG... But allow me to assure you, you wont be disappointed.

Madness is Genius
Eight traveling vacationers witness the sudden car-crash and slow final death of con-man Smiler Grogan in the hills above Palm Desert, Cal.. Grogan's dying words reveal the secret location of $350,000 hidden in Santa Rosita Park, near San Diego. This sparks a wild, hectic race for the dough. Pure greed,buried treasure, and car crashes. It's all here. "It's a Mad,Mad,Mad, Mad World" was the most successful movie directed by ace Stanley Kramer. All of the famous television and film comics from 1963 appear in this wild comedy. Only Bob Hope is missing. The cast includes Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers, Jerry Lewis, Joe E. Brown, The Three Stooges, Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante, Jack Benny, Jonathan Winters, and Spencer Tracy. Ernest Gold composed an original booming, wonderful soundtrack you'll be humming for days. At two hours and 41 minutes, "Mad World" is too long, but an incredible cast and mad-cap action propel the story along. This new MGM DVD is presented in widescreen anamorphic 2.35:1 aspect. The colors are crisp and vibrant. The "Mad World" DVD includes an excellent 1991 documentary with all the major surviving cast members. There's also 1 hour of "out-takes", faded and damaged, from the original Cinerama 70mm release. And there's two trailers. The year 2001 produced an obvious remake of "Mad World" called "Rat Race", a modest hit. Stanley Kramer and Spencer Tracy made 4 classic films together. The last was the inspiring "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" in 1967. In ill health, sadly, Tracy died just days after shooting ended. Stanley Kramer himself died in Feb. 2001. His genius is now gone. His legacy lies before you.

It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad DVD
I would give this DVD 5 stars if all the movie was here, but it isn't, hence 3 stars. There's no excuse for this considering that no major restoration has been attempted here, the storage capabilities of DVDs are huge, and MGM has already released the full-length movie on VHS. The deleted scene feature is a mess. Watching the scenes seperately is tedious and not much fun. The least they could do would be to put the deleted scenes in the order that they appeared in the original film. The third and fourth scenes appear to be exactly the same as do others later on. Sometimes the scene appears the same only zoomed in. Others scenes have no sound. Some of the last scenes go on and on up to 10 minutes and contains everything that is included in the feature except for very minor snippets of dialogue. Sometimes you can't detect anything new, like in the money dividing proposal scene.

I can see why MGM would want to keep their pristine 35mm print whole and transfer that to DVD but perhaps they should have included a 2nd disc and a 2nd version that patched together all the missing scenes, no matter what condition, and reconstructed the film as best as they could to the longest originally released version.

MGM, when you finally "Special Edition" this movie offer a rebate with the proof of purchase from this inferior edition!

Best, Most Memorable Comedy Ever Made !!
I originally saw the movie in '63. I was 8. Dad started my Birthday party with it. After the movie, Dad drove the route of the Santa Monica portion of the car chase(yes, there really was a "Big W").
Just finished watching the movie on Turner TV. The narrator came on after the movie and said that THE ORIGINAL WAS 5 HOURS long(Just too much "good stuff"). The movie studio had it edited to the shortened current version of three hours.
Back in '63 it was a terrific movie-In '04 it is still a terrific movie.

An all star cast of comics, great comedy

Director: Stanley Kramer
Format: Color
Studio: Mgm/Ua Studios
Video Release Date: September 26, 1995

Cast:

Spencer Tracy ... Capt. T.G. Culpeper
Milton Berle ... J. Russell Finch
Sid Caesar ... Melville Crump, DDS
Buddy Hackett ... Benjy Benjamin
Ethel Merman ... Mrs. Marcus
Mickey Rooney ... Ding 'Dingy' Bell
Dick Shawn ... Sylvester Marcus
Phil Silvers ... Otto Meyer
Terry-Thomas ... Lt.Col. J. Algernon Hawthorne
Jonathan Winters ... Lennie Pike
Edie Adams ... Monica Crump
Dorothy Provine ... Emeline Marcus-Finch
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson ... Second cab driver
Jim Backus ... Tyler Fitzgerald
Ben Blue ... Biplane pilot
Joe E. Brown ... Union official
Alan Carney ... Police sergeant
Chick Chandler ... Detective outside Chinese laundromat
Barrie Chase ... Sylvester's girlfriend
Lloyd Corrigan ... The Mayor
William Demarest ... Police Chief Aloysius
Andy Devine ... Sheriff of Crockett County
Selma Diamond ... Ginger Culpeper
Peter Falk ... Third cab driver
Norman Fell ... Detective at Grogan's crash site
Paul Ford ... Col. Wilberforce
Stan Freberg ... Deputy sheriff
Louise Glenn ... Billie Sue Culpeper
Leo Gorcey ... First cab driver
Sterling Holloway ... Fire Chief
Edward Everett Horton ... Mr. Dinckler
Marvin Kaplan ... Irwin
Buster Keaton ... Jimmy the boatman
Don Knotts ... Nervous man
Charles Lane ... Airport manager
Mike Mazurki ... Miner
Charles McGraw ... Lt. Matthews
Cliff Norton ... Reporter
Zasu Pitts ... Switchboard operator Gertie
Carl Reiner ... Tower controller at Rancho Conejo
Madlyn Rhue ... Secretary Schwartz
Roy Roberts ... Policeman outside Irwin & Ray's Garage
Arnold Stang ... Ray
Nick Stewart ... Migrant truck driver
Joe DeRita ... Fireman
Larry Fine ... Fireman
Moe Howard ... Fireman
Sammee Tong ... Chinese laundryman
Jesse White ... Radio tower operator at Rancho Conejo
Jimmy Durante ... Smiler Grogan
Roy Engel ... Patrolman/Police radio voice unit F-14
Nicholas Georgiade ... Detective at Grogan's crash site
Stacy Harris ... Police radio voice unit F-7
Don C. Harvey ... Policeman in helicopter
Allen Jenkins ... Police officer
Tom Kennedy ... Traffic cop
Harry Lauter ... Police dispatcher
Ben Lessy ... George the steward
Jerry Lewis ... Man who runs over hat
Bob Mazurki ... Eddie (miner's son)
Jack Benny ... Man in car in desert
Eddie Ryder ... Air traffic control tower staffer
Paul Birch ... Policeman
Doodles Weaver ... Dinckler's Hardware Store clerk
Stanley Clements ... Detective in squad room
Bobo Lewis ... Pilot's wife
Minta Durfee ... Bit Part

Intended to be the comedy to end all comedies, with a cast including virtually all the name comedians at the time.

Jimmy Durante plays a guy who is in a fatal auto accident, but before he dies, tells 5 bystanders where there is $350,000 hidden under a "W", whuch leads to a chase to find the money.

Meanwhile, Capt. T.G. Culpeper (Spencer Tracy) is aware of the stolen money and he and his policemen observe the chase with interest through the desert, mountains, and along the California coast, with the contestants using aircraft, cars, trucks, a bicycle and every method of transportation in their attempt to be first to reach the money.

Tracy was ill when the film was shot, and so only worked four hours per day. The long shots and physical stuff was performed by stand-ins.

This is a fun movie. If there is a criticism, it is that the comedy is perhaps overdone. With so many top comedians, there is certainly no dearth of funny lines, pratfalls, and laughs--that's for sure.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

... Read more

Reviews (81)

An Extremely Enjoyable Movie
We make it a tradition in our house to watch this movie on Christmas - and we're Jewish! This is a funny cartoon version of A Christmas Carol, which has Mr. Magoo starring as Scrooge in a theatrical production (in the classic show within a show tradition). The songs are cute (yes, it's a musical) and the story remains intact, although shortened. The Tiny Tim here is the cutest one I've seen in any version of A Christmas Carol - in fact this is one of the best versions out there.

Thank you, THANK YOU!
I humbly wish to thank Good Times Video for re-releasing this holiday treasure--and I write these words well into January. I ordered this DVD in a fit of nostalgia, and as I watched it for the first time since I was a child, I felt tears streaming down my face. I soon realized I hadn't seen this wonderful program since I believed in Santa Claus! I couldn't have been more than 7 or 8 since that last time I saw it, yet it has stuck in my mind and heart ever since--the INCREDIBLE Stine/Merrill score, the wonderfully "early 60s" animation style, the faithful retelling of the Dickens classic, the adorable Tiny Tim, the terrific voice performances by Jim Backus, Jack Cassidy, and many others. "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" might not have been the most sophistically animated Christmas special ever broadcast, but its warm heart and passionate script make it one of the most truly unforgetable (and beautiful) TV experiences of my lifetime. If you have a family with small children, perhaps ages 5 and up, order this program and enjoy it with them. Perhaps they too will have a holiday memory that will last as strongly as mine. Thank you, Good Times Video and Amazon--no make that an uppercase THANK YOU--for blessing me with this cartoon classic that I feared was lost forever. And those songs..........those wonderful,loving, memorable songs!

The best "Christmas Carol" available
Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol has been my favorite retelling of the classic Dickens story for years, but I was always embarrassed to admit it, given the simplistic presentation. Finally, I realized that it was that very simplicity, and brevity, that makes this version so appealing. Without benefit of Technicolor storybook pictures or breath-taking effects, these animated characters give an honest, concise telling of the story of Scrooge's redemption.

Any animated feature is only as good as the voices that speak for the characters and this one is chock-full of winners. Jim Backus moves beyond his usual Mr. Magoo voice to find new colors to fit Scrooge's character. The transformation from penny-pinching miser to good-hearted soul via a Scrooge terrified by the visitations is complete. Jack Cassidy is a sympathetic Bob Cratchit and the multi-talented June Foray (of Rocky and Bullwinkle fame) is the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Surprisingly, even in a 52-minute format this version sticks carefully to the Dickens story line and retains all the essential story elements, something that cannot be said for the majority of the filmed versions which feel compelled to "explain" Dickens with extraneous dialogue and scenes. The only addition -- other than the preliminary play-within-a-play set-up that shows Mr. Magoo arriving at the theatre to get ready to go on stage - is the songs. And what delightful songs they are! "The Winter Was Warm" is a beautiful ballad, "I'm All Alone in the World", sung as a duet between the old and young Scooge is a real tear-jerker, and the "La, La" chorus of the rag-pickers, has me laughing just as much now as it did the first time I saw this in the early '60's. What is it about those wide open mouths and visible tonsils in close-up?

Viewing Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol at least once (usually more) each year is part of my Christmas celebration.

TRULY A TREAT!!!
This is a super special. It has the warmth of Christmas and for people my age, it has a bunch of memories of the sixties. A delight to watch each year. It aired on NBC back in 1962 at 7:30 - 8:30 on Tuesday night December 18th. This is another classic holiday special that people need in their homes for the holiday. This DVD is a must.

OH, MAGOO! YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN!
Over the years adaptations of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Charles Dickens' immortal Christmas classic have become a hobby of mine. There have been some great ones but one is surprisingly good and should be a part of the collection of any serious Scrooge-a-phile.

I remember seeing MR. MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL when it debuted on network television in 1962. Though I was a child it made an indelible mark that was never to be forgotten. It ranks right up there with the original animated HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS and is as charming, original and wonderful as it was when I first saw it. It is now a favorite of my children as well.

Additionally, MR. MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL features a soundtrack of songs that are wonderful. Composed by Broadway legends Jule Styne and Bob Merrill of FUNNY GIRL fame, the songs will become some of your favorites for the holiday season. Add to that the vocal talents of the great Jim Backus (Gilligan's Island), Morey Amsterdam (The Dick Van Dyke Show), and Jack Cassidy and June Foray (The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle) and you have an unbeatable and classic holiday triumph.

Douglas McAllister ... Read more

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Directors Cut of "CRAZY MAMA"