Amazon.com

The DVD era has unearthed another treasure.For the first time ever, Julie Andrews's performance in the title role of the original 1957 television production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella is available to the public on home video.Cinderella was created as a Broadway-style television production with an original score from the creators of Oklahoma! and Carousel, featuring such songs as "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible," "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful," and "Stepsisters' Lament."Cast in the title role was the 21-year-old Andrews, at the time starring on Broadway in My Fair Lady (another Cinderella story of sorts), and the cast was filled out by a talented bunch of stage veterans (including Kaye Ballard, Edie Adams, Dorothy Stickney, and Stickney's husband, writer Howard Lindsay).On March 31, 1957, a then-record 120 million homes saw the program as it was broadcast, live and in color, but it was preserved only in black-and-white kinescope, i.e., by aiming a camera at a monitor during the broadcast.While this version probably looks better than we have any right to expect, the picture is still fuzzy black-and-white, which makes it a tougher sell for kids than the later color versions, 1965 with Lesley Anne Warren and the 1997 Disneyized version.But give older kids (say, 8 or so) credit for being able to look past the black-and-white picture and primitive effects and enjoy the charming songs, the excellent performances, and the prospect of seeing one of their favorite actresses play one of their favorite princesses.

Fortunately, the DVD has also received the attention it deserves, with a new introduction by Andrews, a 20-minute featurette about the production, including interviews with many of the principals; Rodgers and Hammerstein's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show a week before the broadcast; and a gallery of color photos of the production as well as promotional material, which included paper dolls of Andrews. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Fun from start to finish
Freaky Friday is a hilarious film. It is filled with funny, quotable dialogue. The script is great, and what makes it all come together are the performances by it's stars. Jodie Foster is very good and entertaining as Annabel. Barbara Harris as Mrs. Andrews is so wonderful she steals the show. Her transformation into her teenage daughter trying to be a wife and mother is a blast. Barbara Harris has a wacky, rebelliousness that comes though in her performance. It's perfect. Her scenes with Boris (Annabel's teenage crush who lives across the street) and her son Ben, are especially funny.

The young Sparky Marcus as little Ben Andrews is adorable. His scene of confiding in his "mother" about his true feelings for sister Annabel is very touching. Marc McClure as Boris Harris (who makes a cameo appearance in 2003's Freaky Friday as Boris making a delivery) is great in his role as the allergy-prone object of Annabel's affections. Another standout character is Mrs. Schmauss the cleaning lady. Her interactions with "Mrs. Andrews" are side splitting.

The title song, "I'd Like To Be You For A Day", is really beautiful and compliments the sentiment in the film. Freaky Friday is a feel good film with a message that is obvious, but also has a subtle message throughout that reminds us not to take life too seriously. It seems to say "Enjoy the people you love, appreciate their individuality and struggles, and most of all, allow yourself to have fun on this crazy journey."

Original 1977 FREAKY FRIDAY Is The Best!
For a guy who likes Ingmar Bergman and other indy, artsy films, I guess it seems weird that I bought the DVD of the original FREAKY FRIDAY the minute it hit amazon. But, this film was made in the good old days of Disney, before they lost focus of their business and started behaving like most other monster corporations. This story has had at least 3 lives: the 2003 version (enjoyable), the 90's TV version (I never saw that one), and the one at hand. The original 1977 release gives us the unique pleasure of seeing two wonderful performers, Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster, going through their paces in this mother-daughter-switch tale. Barbara Harris is one of the great performers who never quite made the level of fame she deserved. Whether in her Broadway turns in ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER and THE APPLE TREE, to several good films, she had an amazing ability to be vulnerable in one moment and seamlessly turn into a glamourous, gutsy bombshell in the next. And her voice! This film and, perhaps, Hitchcock's FAMILY PLOT are nice samplings of her skill. Add in the very young Jodie Foster and you can't lose. (The DVD has a nice on-screen commentary by Foster, which proves how spontaneously articulate she is. Too bad they didn't get Harris to discuss her part.) As an added benefit, the screenplay is by source book author, Mary Rodgers (Richard Rodgers' daughter and author-composer in her own right). For those who like THE GILMORE GIRLS, which is a tremendous and enjoyable example of an almost-impossibly-idealistic relationship between a mother and her daughter, this film will be a nice reality check. Here the mother and daughter can't relate to each other at all until they go through the fiery baptism of spending a day in each other's body. Ultimately, this film provides us with 90-plus minutes of enjoyment and humor in the hands of the very talented cast.

Extremly Funny!!!!!!!!
I like this one MUCH better than the remake! Although the remake was still good. It is MUCH closer to the book. It was also more funny and I thought that Jodie Foster did an excellent job as Annabel! MUCH better than Lindsey Lohan. I also thought that Barbara Harris did a great job as Ellen. The Remake is not close to the book at all. After you see the orginal one, you'll probaly think that the remake isn't as good!

The best nothing beats a classic!
I grew up with this movie. I think I saw it for the first time on the wonderful world of Disney. Either that or Mom got it for me at the library & even she likes it.
Jodi foster is both brilliant & lovable! She's believable and as the child her issues where at least believable & somebody I could sypathise with. As an adult in a childs body well hillarious! By the way Ben or Ape Face really showed talent. What happened to that kid? He was cute & delivered a preformance of giant perportion that added dynamic to both mother and daughter. Plus that ball game scene & his love & envy of his big sister. The kid had a real talent for delivering dialog, yet also proved though he first apears a little geek that he had a real little boys spirit.
The jokes where clean & in good taste. Yet timeless & funny. Nothing beats a great chase scene & that car chase was both exciting and funny.
I seached long & hard for a copy of the vhs but it'd been vaulted. just when I bought it used My VCR broke & I got a DVD player for my birthday. A week later the DVD came out. Purchase of that DVD is one of the first things I'll do with my next paycheck. It will be money well spent on a classic disney movie I could watch again & again.

Thank you, Disney
At last, Disney DVD presents a fine, widescreen print of one of its '70's classics with an accompanying twenty-minute recollection by Jodie Foster of her formative years on the Disney lot. Although this DVD of the original "Freaky Friday" is not a special edition, it is exactly the kind of product we Disney fans and DVD purists have been begging for. Hopefully, good sales will lead to new widescreen releases of previously botched fullscreen DVDs of "Follow Me, Boys," "Son of Flubber," "The Gnome Mobile" and "Blackbeard's Ghost," among others.

One of the first of the popular body-switching genre, 1977's "Freaky Friday" is a fast-paced, perceptive comedy about a typical mother-and-daughter relationship and how the two react when they literally switch personalities for a day, with Foster's Annabel trapped in her mother's body, and Barbara Harris' Ellen going to junior high as Annabel. The complications are obvious but nonetheless funny and engaging, with Harris proving herself a skilled physical comedienne while skateboarding, playing baseball, and suffering through numerous pratfalls and humiliations. My only problem with Harris' performance is she seems to be playing Annabel too young--perhaps as a nine-year-old instead of a bright thirteen-year-old, so she's never entirely believable in the role. (Jamie Lee Curtis, on the other hand, nails the teenager-in-a-grownup-body role in the remake.) Foster, on the other hand, is just about perfect in her characterization of daughter/mother Annabel. Even in 1977 it was easy to see this phenomenal young talent was destined for great things as an actress. Indeed, "Freaky Friday" was part of an incredible string of top-notch performances Foster gave from 1973-1977 ("Tom Sawyer," "Echoes of a Summer," "Bugsy Malone," "Taxi Driver," "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane" and "Candleshoe") that turned her into one of the finest (if not THE finest) child actresses of all time.

Rounding out the cast is a fine group of veteran actors: John Astin as Bill Andrews, Annabel's confused father; Patsy Kelly as the family's grumpy and unlikeable housekeeper; Dick Van Patten as Bill's boss; and Ruth Buzzi, in a funny cameo as a field hockey coach (her strategy: "Get Annabel Andrews and get her good!") Gary Nelson's direction is crisp, and the script by novelist Mary Rodgers perceptive for the time, although she was forced to change the plot somewhat to include that tired Disney '70's staple: a protracted slapstick car chase involving Ellen/Annabel outracing several police cars without facing any consequences whatsoever. Like most Disney films of the era, the production values are stellar and the film is colorful and reminiscent of a live-action cartoon. Even the opening cartoon-credit sequence is engaging.

Yes, there are some creepy sexual subtexts here (which Foster amusingly comments on in the documentary) involving Bill and neighbor-teen Boris (Marc McClure) both coming onto Ellen/Annabel, but they will go right over younger kids' heads and older kids will be as amused by it as their parents. Regardless, this is perfect family entertainment and will make a fine double-feature with the 2003 remake, which is equally good with its own merits. (I prefer Jamie Lee Curtis over Harris, and Foster over Lohan and think the remake is more successful in dealing with the sexual subtexts; i.e., the makers wisely scuttle the father's role and make Curtis a widow with a fiance played by Mark Harmon, which was the smartest of many changes made in the plot.)

So, once again, thank you, Disney, for a fine DVD of one of your best '70's films. Please, please, please follow this one up with more widescreen releases. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This gorgeously designed theater production of Lewis Carroll'sworld-famous fantasy, based on a famous production from the 1930s,features an astonishing array of notable actors. Richard Burton is quietlytouching as the doddering White Knight; Eve Arden spits out commands asthe bloodthirsty Queen of Hearts; Donald O'Connor plays the woeful MockTurtle as a jaunty standup comedian; and such varied talents as ColleenDewhurst, Nathan Lane, Maureen Stapleton, James Coco, Andre Gregory, andGeoffrey Holder fill out Carroll's phantasmagoria as Kate Burton(Richard's daughter) plays the title character in the classicblue-and-white dress and blond tresses. All the sets and costumes aremeticulously based on the illustrations from the original books (thestory line is a mix of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland andThrough the Looking Glass), capturing artist John Tenniel'selaborate creations with zest. Though the story lacks dramatic action, thewordplay and visuals are delightful. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (5)

It's a bad sign when the sets are better than the actors.
This particular "Alice" has a long history. It started as a hit play in the early '40s, was resurrected in the late '70s with Kate Burton in the title role, and then ported to Great Performances on PBS - the latter of which is what we have here on DVD. Presumably it worked a little better on stage, and probably a little better in the '40s, too. Sadly, it runs through both "Alice" stories in a breakneck 90 minutes' time, and much of the acting is truly lamentable - some of the actors are so bad, I actually thought that might be an intentional joke, as with Austin Pendleton's monotonistic White Rabbit! Probably the best of them are Donald O'Connor - the only one of the lot who can actually sing! - as the Mock Turtle, Geoffrey Holder as the Cheshire Cat, and Richard Burton as the White Knight. The tea party crew is fairly good as well. The rest...well, the sooner forgotten about, the better.

Despite the acting, the sets and costumes are gorgeous - they're mostly made (with the exception of the Cat) to look like Tenniel woodcuts. That makes it quite a visual treat, if nothing else. This isn't the worst "Alice" I've seen, but it's not very high on my list. Still, it has enough good points it's probably worth a rental on a rainy week...just don't expect anything too incredible.

Great Find
I remember watching this on PBS when I was a kid and I was so excited to see this on DVD. It's a great production with a great cast. I like that the play features both Alice in Wonderland AND Through the Looking Glass. As a Lewis Carroll fan I was happy to see how closely the play follows the books.

A highly theatrical "Alice"
I have studied Carroll, I have researched the 'Alice' stories, and I have even directed a successful production of the very same Eva LeGallienne script, and I was very excited to see this production available on DVD. I was hoping to see if a big budget could make sense of a theatrical script that doesn't really work. Please don't get me wrong...Ms. LeGallienne's script is by far the most true to the original stories. Ms. LeGallienne's script pulls out of the original stories only the most important characters and qualities, but the script itself still lacks the thread that creates one complete story, and unfortunately this production chops away even further by ommitting key transitional moments leaving only the major scenes.

Did I enjoy it? Absolutely! The design was gorgeous. The characters and the scenery seemed to have been lifted from the pages of Teniel's illustrations and brought to life. There were so many brilliant moments. Most notably the aloof and condescending Catepillar, the doughy-faced Dutchess, Stapleton's flighty White Queen, the academic snobbery of Humpty, and Lane's neurotic Mouse. I also have to add, I completely disagree with another reviewer's opinion of Arden's Queen of Hearts. I felt that her understated, and underplayed Queen was a brilliant choice. Remember, screaming does not an actor make. Her insincerity and aloofness is the perfect mirror image of Victorian royalty. And the insuated affair between the Knave and Queen of Hearts kept me laughing for hours! Bravo! I am also sorry to say that I was disappointed with Burton's Alice. She completely lacked the sensitivity and sensibilities of a 7 year old. She played Alice as an adult instead of Alice attempting to act as an adult.

Overall, I highly recommend this for anyone who loves 'Alice'. Despite the problems with the script, it is by far the most true adaptation of the stories, and one worth owning.

An ALICE more mannered than magical
Lewis Carroll's classic fantasy of wonder and weirdness, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, has long been a favorite subject of both playwrights and screenwriters to adapt. From the all star Paramount classic of the 30's with Cary Grant as the Mock Turtle to the wild colors of the Disney cartoon, this story has been very difficult for writers to get a solid handle on. Part of the reason is the mere episodic nature of the story, as Alice flits from one wacky character to the next. This version, based on a 1984 theatre revival, is only partly successful. The costumes and sets wonderfully recall the original illustrations of John Tenniel, and Kate Burton makes for a winsome and witty Alice. Unfortunately, some of the performances seem almost too laid-back for a show that should demand high energy. For example, Eve Arden's Queen of Hearts, instead of being overtly furious and bloodthirsty in her "Off with her head" tirades, comes across as merely slightly miffed!!! It also doesn't help that James Cocoa's King of Hearts has no personality whatsoever. Andre Gregory's Mad Hatter is likewise handicapped. However, there are some performances that do convey a better spirit of the story and inject life into this production. Geoffrey Holder makes for a regal and slightly sinister Cheshire Cat. A young Nathan Lane is a wonderfully skittish Mouse, while Fritz Weaver makes for a sage Caterpillar. Donald O'Conner soft-shoes his merry way as a light-footed Mock Turtle. Bookended with a back-story concerning an actress (Ms. Burton) getting ready for her first big production, this production is both literate and a treat for the eye. However, this production misses that vital spark of energy that keeps a merely good production from being a great one. However, if you love theatre, this one is worth your time.

A real treat for kids and adults
I first watched this when my grandmother taped it off of PBS in 1983. I watched it over and over again as a child. Not too long ago, I tried to find the tape and couldn't, so I tracked it down on a Broadway archive site. I have the VHS version, not the DVD - but would like to have the DVD also.
The sets, costumes and actors make this production very interesting. I love the costumes more than any other Alice interp. (theater or t.v. production) They look like they just jumped off of the pages of Carroll's book.
If you are an Alice in Wonderland freak like me, you will appreciate this even more! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Dont get fooled by the title and the name
this is one of the 3 worst movies I have ever seen.

Bad storry, bad quality of the DVD,

Just dont get it. Beleve me. Thats why it is under 10 bucks but under 2 bucks would still be a wast of money and time.

Great if you want too...
take a nap. This movie put me to sleep. even the conversations were boring. robotic and choreagraphed. Weak story and ending. Do something productive instead of watching this movie. ... Read more

Reviews (223)

Super Freaky
The original Freaky Friday, released in 1977, starred Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster, as a mother/daughter, who pull off the old switchero. The sprited 2003 remake is as much fun as the earlier incarnation and is a great showcase for the comedic talents of its two female leads.

Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her 15-year-old daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) are not getting along all that well. The pair butt heads over everthing from boys, household chores, to mom's upcoming nuptials to Ryan (Mark Harmon). However, everything changes when two identical Chinese fortune cookies cause a little mystic mayhem and Tess and Anna find themselves inside the other's body. And with Tess's wedding only a few days away, the two have to find a way to switch back before the big day.

Under the direction of Mark S. Waters, Freaky Friday, has what many of the identity crisis comedies of the past did not--good chemistry between the leads. Curtis and Lohan make quite a team. I was very impressed with the way they were both able to transform into each other. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a clever and witty script, to back you up. After seeing Curtis strut her stuff, her Golden Globe nomination for her performance, was well deserved.

The DVD has a solid assortment of extras, but I really wish the stars had recorded an audio commentary, that probably would have been lots of fun. Waters offers an introduction for a deleted scene and no less than three alternate endings. I'll let you decide for yourself, which ending works best. Actress Lindsay Lohan grabbed a DV Camera for some fun backstage moments with the cast and crew during the making of the film. There's also a three minute blooper reel that's worth a look, two music videos from the film's soundtrack: Lillix's "What I Like About You" and Halo Friendlies' "Me Vs. the World", a few DVD-ROM weblinks, and the usual Disney sneak peeks. The actual theatrical trailers for either Freaky Friday film, however, didn't make the disc. Viewers can watch the movie in either the full-screen or widescreen formats

This is a lighthearted family comedy that made even this somewhat cynical reviewer smile. Recommended

SWITCHEROONIE
FREAKY FRIDAY is a movie of revelations. First, we have the breakout performance for an actress who has always done well, but in this movie, well she finds her niche. Jamie Lee Curtis is absolutely delightful in the role of Tess Coleman. She brings a comic ability hardly evidenced in her earlier films; she also has the maturity to cut loose and play her teenage daughter with all the stops pulled out. If this was a perfect world, Jamie Lee would find herself with a Best Actress oscar nomination this year. Likewise, Ms. Lindsay Lohan---incredible performance, going from the self-centered teenybopper to the more sophisticated and mature personage of her stressed out mom.
Lohan and Curtis work brilliantly together, and in this same perfect world, Lindsay would also be Oscar nominated.
Director Mark Waters kept things moving at a frenetic pace, and had me chuckling throughout the movie. We can't overlook, either, the wonderful actors in their supporting roles: Mark Harmon was his usual stuffy self, but there was innate warmth lurking there, too; Harold Gould was charming as the hard of hearing grandfather; Ryan Malgarini was perfect as the brother from hell; Dina Spybey was perfect as the too perfect classmate, Stacey; and my favorites: Rosalind Chao and Lucille Soong as the Chinese ladies who get the ball rolling with the switching. They are so full of life, they give the movie incredible bursts of fun and humor. Ironically, Chad Michael Murray worked best in his scenes with Jamie Lee; he seemed to have more maturity and self-confidence.
This is a very entertaining movie, and in its own way, much better than the original.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AND OSCAR DON'T BE SUCH A STUFFSHIRT!

Awesome movie!
Great family movie! Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan once again prove what great actresses they are! The movie is very funny and the chemistry between the actors is amazing!

A Fillm for the whole family
I was very happy when I got Freaky Friday for christmas and I enjoy every moment of it. It has a little of everything for the whole family. Rock, love and comdey it just a feel good movie for any age.

Average Flick
I have to say I liked the book better. The movie is kind of shallow. I like Lindsay Lohan a lot, but for some reason this movie didn't serve a purpose for me.
They twisted the story of the book, which was much better might I add, to make 'Anna' a rebel punk rocker with a bad attitude and a belly button ring. I think I may have appreciated this movie more if it had some more meaning.
Some parts of the movie were really good and some parts were kind of stinky. No offense, but after Chad Michael Murray's character entered the movie, that's when the movie got boring. That's the word. Boring. Not bad, just kind of boring.
Don't get me wrong though, it's a lot better than that Lizzie Maguire movie and What A Girl Wants, and I guess maybe littler kids might like it more than I did. But here's the breakdown.....
THE MOVIE: Definitely worth watching, Definitely worth checking out of the library, Worth renting, Maybe not worth buying until you've seen it.
AGES?: 4-6, probably wouldn't get it. 7-9 May like it. 10-13 - my age group....It was okay...kind of predictable. 13+ - most likely will find it boring.
MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS: Mean Girls (PG-13) for younger kids, The Parent Trap and Cheaper By The Dozen.
OTHER: I recommend Freaky Friday, the book, wholeheartedly. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Terrible movie, made worse by a terrible DVD transfer
This movie was never seen in theaters outside the Youngstown, Ohio area. Someone should have gotten a Nobel Peace Price for this humane move. Tiger Warsaw is a horrible movie. Patrick Swayze plays a man who's come back home to Sharon, Pennsylvania in order to make amends with his family. Fifteen years prior, he was in an altercation with his father in which resulted in the father being shot. While not a recommended way to bond with one's dad, everyone in the movie treats the character like he's Bin Laden.

Now the DVD transfer was very poorly done. One, it isn't in widescreen. It's not really in pan and scan, either. During scenes with two characters talking, both people are mostly or completed cropped out of frame. It's hilarious to see an "emotional" scene between two noses. It wasn't this bad in the VHS version. A transfer from a Betamax tape to a DVD-R would have looked better.

... Normally, this movie would earn no stars, but I give it one because Patrick Swayze is famous.

Finally got the chance to see this.
I am from the area that this movie was filmed in(I was 7-8 years old at the time, in 1987) and I have wanted to see this movie for the longest time. I was finally able to, when I found out about half an hour before the movie started that it was going to be on ...

Now before you think that I'm biased about this movie because of it's location and the fact that I'm from there, I have to admit that I first thought that this was going to be a pretty [bad] movie. The first few minutes seemed to go real slow and make no sense whatsoever. There was one scene where the main character's friend suddenly gets mad and knocks a glass of water down for no reason whatsoever. But after a while, I got into the movie, which is about a man that comes back to town 15 years after shooting his father and vandalizing their house. Because he doesn't want to face his parents and sister, he meets up with an old girlfriend(I assume), who is a single mother with two kids. When he does see the family, the reaction is either joy(his mother) or anger(his sister).

Without giving too much away, he leaves town after deciding that he doesn't fit in anymore and he goes back to St. Louis, where his son lives. He makes amends with his father and they live happilly ever after.

Knowing that the movie was filmed entirely in my area made it fun to watch. There were some places I recognized(like a high school building and the airport) and some I didn't(the grocery store where Tiger worked). There were also places that SEEMED familiar, but I wasn't sure of the exact location. Someday when I have the time, I might take the "Tiger Warsaw" tour and look at all the places where it was filmed.

Lastly, an interesting note: two of my cousins and my grandmother where in the scene at the basketball game, but their "part" was cut out. Also, the two schools that were playing in the basketball game were recently in the news when fans from both teams got in a post-game scuffle over a ref call and will not be playing in any games in the next school year.

And that was a review from the point of view of a local girl.

Great storyline...
I don't normally like movies with this amount of sentimentalism in them, but I have to make an exception here because I like the characters and storyline. The main character (Tiger Warsaw - played by Swayze, of course) seems pretty legit, and so do most of the other characters. I think the movie comes off pretty well and the people in it reminded me of people I've actually known - even if a few elements of the movie feel a little contrived.

very good story-line
This movie was never viewed in theaters outside of the area (Sharon, PA) where it was filmed. Being a Patrick fan, I searched until I was able to purchase it. Patrick does an excellent job of portraying the son who returns home after a long absence to make amends with his family. The production and color were not the best, but I really liked the story. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Terrence McNally adapted his Broadway farce for this wild, headlong comedy set in one of the gay bathhouses that were once a staple of New York culture. Jack Weston plays a guy who makes the mistake of crossing his gangster brother-in-law. Fearing for his life, he hides in the gay baths and the door-slamming chaos begins. Directed by Richard Lester, the comedy is adept and well handled, with Weston watching his back while trying to pass as a regular customer. It's hard to tell which is funnier: Treat Williams as an undercover cop with a falsetto voice or Rita Moreno as the baths' supremely untalented--and even more supremely self-confident--singer, Googie Gomez. Her performances alone make this movie worth watching. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (16)

The Height of 70's Comedy
This very dated movie (which makes it even funnier) is an absolute joy to watch.Treat Williams is chock full o' buttery goodness (at least how he looks, not how he talks) is rookie detective Michael Brick, hired to find Gaetano Proclo (Jack Weston) - the brother-in-law to Carmine Vespucci (Jerry Stiller).Using a gay bath house as a hide out, Gaetano spends an evening with the screaming queen Chris (F. Murray Abraham who steals the movie), the smitten chubby-chaser (Paul B. Price), the ambitious lounge singer (Rita Moreno - who Gaetano believes to be a drag queen), his high-strung wife (Kaye Ballard) and the oddest man with Clint Eastwood glint in his eyes, wearing chaps (Peter Butterworth).Best line in the movie is by F. Murray Abraham who, when he tries to strike up a conversation with a less-than-enthusiastic target, exlaims "Margaret Dumont!We thought you were dead!".WHEN WILL THIS BE ON DVD?C'mon folks..this is a classic.
Look for a few scenes with John Ratzenberger - "Cliff" from the TV show "Cheers".

One of the rare movies I play OVER and OVER!
This is one of those movies that I play over and over for friends and those who have never heard of it.... and they LOVE it.I can't say more than is already said by other reviewers.... you just HAVE to see it and you will know what we all mean.IT'S a real treasure!!

Funniest movie ever!
I bought a $1000 Betamax video machine back in the late 70's just to be able to watch a copy of this movie made from HBO. I wore the tape out and was delighted to find a copy on VHS. I only wish it was on DVD. Maybe soon.
A classic farce about being in the wrong place at the wrong time combined with mistaken identity thrown in, this movie is hilarious. Watch closly and you see a few future stars as well as old pros at their best.
I just love this move!

Lotsa Laughs!
A comic reflection of a time period sure not to return. Moreno is hysterical as are Ballard and Weston. Definitely worth watching and good for many laughs. There is also a certain melancholy to it now given what came of these bathhouses and their denizens. For those who lived through this it certainly triggers some memories.

Break Out The Bath Towels--THE RITZ Is One Of The Best!
Chunky, quivering, middle-class ordinary Gaetano Proclo (Jack Weston) is 'married to the mob' in the form of wife Vivian (Kaye Ballard)--and his crazy brother-in-law Carmine (Jerry Stiller) hates him.Certain that Carmine is about to kill him, Gaetana hops a cab, tells the driver to take him to the last place any one would ever look for him... and suddenly finds himself hiding out from the mob in the middle of a gay bath house.

But this only the first ten or fifteen minutes of the film: there is much, much more to come, and all of it is over the top hilarious.Jack Weston, Jerry Stiller, and Kaye Ballard are perfectly cast in their roles, but would you believe F. Murray Abraham (Oscar winner for AMADEUS) as the screaming queen to end all screaming queens?How about Rita Moreno as a no-talent lounge singer who is busting a gut to become a bath-house star just like Bette Midler?Or Treat Williams as a P.I. with blonde hair and a squeaky voice?My own favorite of the bunch is Paolo Poeti as Claude, a "chubby chaser" who takes one look at Jack Weston and falls in love at first sight--and then proceeds to make his life absolute hell by chasing him all over the bath house.Before it's all over you'll find people hiding under beds, thrown into swimming pools, impersonating the Andrews Sisters, and being pursued by unwanted lovers of the wrong persuasion, all to absolutely hilarious, incredibly giddy effect.

Like most farces, THE RITZ deals in stereotypes--but it is never mean spirited in its portraits, and the cast carries off the eccentric characters (both straight and gay) with considerable aplomb.Filmed long before the AIDS crisis, THE RITZ offers a comic look at a New York gay bath house and a way of life that would soon come to a grinding halt--a fact that gives the film a certain unintended poignancy for gay viewers.Even so, you don't need any specialized background to enjoy this laugh-out-loud movie, which is as much (and really more) for a straight audience as it is for a gay one.Highly, highly recommended... call over some friends, turn up the steam heat, break out some bath towels, and get ready for a true laugh riot. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The big selling point of this film is spelled out immediately in the credits: "And introducing Michelle Pfeiffer as Sue Wellington."It also gives one pause to consider that Pfeiffer's career may have never evolved had she not had a passing resemblance to a young Susannah York.York, who aided, abetted, and produced this clunker, plays Sue Lewis, wife of Harry Lewis. Harry (Elliott Gould) is a businessman living in the past.The past he's reliving is the New York of 1944, where he and his buddies conspired to get him set up with the best-looking girl in the boroughs, Sue Wellington. It's only a slight moment of prophecy, but the first time Pfeiffer appears on screen she has a halo around her head. The rest is a loping Bowery Boys comedy that tries to turn serious at the end but just ends up the epitome of bathos.The best reason to get this is to fall in love again with the girl who would be Catwoman.--Keith Simanton ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Dont get fooled by the title and the name
this is one of the 3 worst movies I have ever seen.

Bad storry, bad quality of the DVD,

Just dont get it. Beleve me. Thats why it is under 10 bucks but under 2 bucks would still be a wast of money and time.

Great if you want too...
take a nap. This movie put me to sleep. even the conversations were boring. robotic and choreagraphed. Weak story and ending. Do something productive instead of watching this movie. ... Read more