Description

During the Great Depression, a married sheet-music salesman falls in love with another woman and uses cheery songs from that era to imagine a better life for himself. ... Read more

Description

This musical adaptation of the Studs Terkel book examines the average worker's viewpoint--showing that he or she is anything but average. Based on a series of interviews with real working people--construction workers, waitresses, firemen, secretaries and cleaning women--"Working" is both an exploration of the individuals' occupations and a lament for lost hopes and dreams. This musical adaptation was conceived by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin). A must for all musical theatre buffs. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Buy This Right NOW!
Wow, this movie has it all! Patti Labelle, James Taylor, Rita Moreno, Barbara Barrie, Barry Bostwick and many more familiar faces appear in this wonderful 1982 musical which aired on PBS. With Book by Studs Terkel and Music by a list of artists including James Taylor (Millwork) you can't go wrong with a story about the working persons struggle through everyday hardships. In this filmed musical, Studs Terkel acts as a narrator who interviews people with different jobs, a construction worker, paper boy, housewife, hooker, secretary, boss, etc. This movie is for anyone who has ever punched a time clock, a co-worker, or a cow...or anyone who would like to. The section with Patti Labelle singing about cleaning ladies is worth the $ alone. Just to mention a great add on to this is the "Working" soundtrack available on CD here, it's not the same production but its worth it. The company who released this video, Broadway Theatre Archives has a list of other PBS plays and musicals, also try the video of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide when the rainbow was enuf."

Mediocre at best.
This PBS production for American Playhouse is basically just a filmed version of the songs and monologues that make up the Broadway musical WORKING. Unfortunately, the film lacks most of the energy or the excitement of the live version. There are still some wonderful performances, most notably Rita Moreno as the Waitress singing "It's An Art", Eileen Brennan as the tired factory worker, Barbara Hershey as the prostitute, Patti Labelle as the cleaning woman and Barry Bostwick as the steelworker singing "Fathers & Sons". Overall, the acting is stronger than the singing (except for in Labelle's case,where the opposite is true) and the actors, while well cast, are not helped by awkward transitions and poor directing.

The big cast musical numbers that open and close the show are totally lacking in energy, mostly due to the fact that they are stagnant (no musical staging), probably because the director didn't know how to film movement.

This is only interesting for those who want to have a record of the material (songs and monologues) that comprise the show.

It would be nice if someone were to film a stage production of this show and edit it properly. That would make for a much more interesting viewing.

Hey Somebody, Don't You Want To Hear...
The story of my life? So begins one of the most underratd musicals ever. With a simple message, "Everyone has a story." This is a TV adaptation of a musical based on a book by Sociologist and pundit Studs Terkel available by the grace of God for the first time on DVD. I knew the play from high school and was anxious to see it on film. It's a fairly reliable adaptation of the play, except that it omits two very fine songs and is kind of simply set up (it was PBS after all).

For those unfamiliar with the book or the musical, Working is based on a series of interviews Terkel performed with people from all walks of life. The book was subtitled "People Talking About What They Do All Day And How They Feel About What They Do." Composer and Lyricist Stephen Schwartz (with help from the likes of James Taylor and Craig Carnelia) adapted the interviews (which were verbatim from these peoples' mouths) into a musical.

Now let me adress a common concern right here. "I don't like musicals." Something like that is simply impossible to say. It's like saying "I don't like soup." You can't. There are too many different kinds of musicals (indeed soups) to say that you hate them all. Do you hate bright and sunny musicals like "Meet Me in St. Louis" or lavish dance numbers like "42nd Street" or quasi-historic grandeur like "Camelot?" In Working the musical performances are limited to singing at the camera, or singing off camera.

And the singing is performed by some wonderful people. "Rocky Horror's" Barry Bostwick as the Steelworker, Scatman Crothers as a Parking Lot Attendant called "Lovin' Al: The Wizard," "West Side Story's" Rita Moreno as a Waitress who feels like an artist, Charles Durning as a retiree, Patti LaBelle as a Cleaning Woman and James Taylor (mentioned above) as a Trucker. Highlights include Bostwick's stirring ballad "Fathers and Sons" Moreno's "It's an Art" and the highly affecting "Me and My Machine" performed by an unseen vocalist during the Millworker scene.

People who do these jobs, might be inspired by these completely true stories. And people who interact with these people might be inspired as well. Inspired to spend a few brain cells thinking about the guy who put his car together, talking to the telephone operator who's been having a hard day, showing respect for the cleaning woman, you even see hookers in a new light.

"Hey somebody, don't you want to hear the story of my life?"

Could have been better
...- the production is flat & lacking in energy (especially in the chorus numbers "See That Building" & "I Hear America Singing/All the Livelong Day") and sets look cheap. And some of the actors are miscast or can't sing very well. It would have been much better filmed in performance with an audience instead of an empty studio.
I happen to have done this musical & like it, but this is just an OK production. Fans of the show will want to buy it as it's the only "movie" version available.

There are standout performances - Barbara Hershey as a vulnerable hooker, Eileen Brennan as an exhausted millworker, Edie McClurg as a perky operator, Charles "Hill St Blues" Haid as the mischievous "gas man," Charles Durning as a retiree, and James Taylor adds a nice touch as he sings something he actually wrote for the show ("Brother Trucker").

But there are also annoying, jarring or boring performances, like Beth Howland as the housewife & Didi "Grease" Conn as a receptionist - both of them breathy & nasal.

Some actors push it too hard - seems like most were cast because they were the "hot A list" for the moment (i.e. the late 70s) which makes the show a little dated. It would have been better casting some unknowns (but great singers from Broadway). So "Where Are They Now?" - Eileen Brennan? Barbara Barrie? Beth Howland? Didi Conn? Matt Landers? Vernee Watson-Johnson?

Good thing they didn't make an album of this soundtrack - its thin singing & orchestrations pale in comparison to the original cast album of 1978, which has much better singers (like Bob Gunton & David Patrick Kelley) and there's more excitement, feeling & fullness in the songs.

Interesting note: Lynne Thigpen (cast as receptionist) & David Patrick Kelley (playing an activist Copyboy complaining about his capitalist newspaper) are the only ones from the original Broadway cast to make it into this broadcast, originally shown on PBS ~1982. On Broadway, Kelly sang the soaring ballad "The Mason," which very unfortunately was cut from this version. Pigpen sang "Cleaning Women."

Okay, people..........you're missing the point..............
First off, the reason that they are all "staring at the camera" is because this is filmed in a documentary style. As if all of the people are being interviewed about their lives and jobs.

Great performances by an all-star cast. Eileen Brennan ("Clue," "Murder by Death") gives a WONDERFUL performance, but unfortunately does not sing her character's "Millwork" song herself. Patti LaBelle sings the [...] out of her "Cleaning Women" song, but does not seem all that emotionally involved in the proceedings. Barry Bostwick gives a touching and brilliant performance, delivering a heart-wrending rendition of "Fathers and Sons." Rita Moreno stops the show, and other wonderful performances given by all.

The sets are rather like "Sesame Street for adults," but I personally find it to be very affective and theatrical. Semi-realism with some flat, 2-dimensional pieces thrown in there for you to remember that this is--after all--a theatrical piece (despite all of the realism in the documentary-style acting and film-making).

All in all, this is a BEAUTIFUL piece. A show about REAL human beings, telling their lives and stories in a non-linear way. Few musicals about real people are out there (only Sondheim's and Kander & Ebb's pieces, as well as I DO! I DO!, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, and RAGTIME come to mind), but those that are are very affective and are truely quite moving.

However, my one MAJOR let down: Craig Carneila's beautiful song "The Mason" is not in this film. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Radner and Wilder Rule!! Delightful Mystery Spoof!!
The beautiful and reknowned late Gilda Radner with Gene Wilder rule in this delightful mystery spoof about a mistaken murder.Check it out!!Gilda, we all love and miss you dearly!! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

SILENT NIGHT,BLOODY NIGHT DVD
A REAL CREEPY HORROR MOVIE WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF WEIRD CHARACTERS. MARY WORONOV IS EXCELLENT IN HER ROLE.THIS IS A SICK MOVIE DEFINITELY WORTH CHECKING OUT. TESS, YOUVE GOTTEN OLDER AND FATTER! SEE THIS ONE!!!! A+++++

Silent Night , Sort of Bloody night
This was an interesting film that was par for the time it was made. The filming was sort of interesting especially when showing the view of the serial killer(The First person view sort of speak). The story was pretty good yet a tad over the top but as you know most horror films are a bit over the top. There is one really bloody scene at the beggining of the film that was graphic but after that don't espect too much blood. I thought this scene was done well and pretty graphic even for today's times. The music in this film is a bit hokey on certain parts but not too bad. The acting was not horrible but it was'nt great either. The part of the film that really stands out to me is the flashback scene. This really made the film spooky. The strange filming it used and the crazy story it explaned helped me like the movie alot more than I otherwise would have. The dvd version I saw came in a four horror film pack called horror classic's. I thought the sound could have been improved and certain scenes could have been transfered more clearly to the dvd but I guess I should just be glad it was even made into dvd format. Overall I think the film is worth a watch or two late at night.

Watchable...kinda.
SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT is one of the earliest of the "slasher" flicks. It inspired such movies as BLACK CHRISTMAS and to a lesser extent, SCREAM. There are a lot of things in this movie that have become staples of slasher films, such as the maniac calling the victims on the phone, and keeping the viewers guessing as to the identity of the killer.

The plot for this movie is a good, albeit simple one. The killer calls the eventual victims and lures them to a house where they meet their eventual demise. However, there are a lot of sub plots (rivaling the nighttime soaps Dallas and Dynasty!) that I found a little difficult to keep up with. Like EVIL DEAD, almost the entire movie takes place in a single night (with the exception of flashbacks, obviously). But unlike EVIL DEAD, there isn't really enough action to sustain it.

The cast is pretty well stocked, with early scream queen Mary Woronov, Patrick O'Neal and John Carradine (who was pretty much wasted in his role). The acting is sufficient to above average, but don't look for anything outstanding here. And although the writing suffers a little in my opinion, there is a lot of well-written dialogue in this film.

The base plot is as follows: Wilfred Butler dies, and leaves his house, grounds and all the belongings (which was used as an insane asylum for a few years) to his only surviving relative (isn't it always that way?), Jeff Butler. The only condition is that he has to keep the house in the same state that it was when he owned it. Jeff adheres to his grandfather's wishes for twenty years, but finally decides to sell it. PLOT POINT: The news travels to a local insane asylum, where we see an escape, but we don't know who it is that escapes. I don't think the writers did, either.

Shortly afterwards, Jeff's lawyer and his mistress arrive to sell the house, and decide to stay in the house overnight. Big mistake. They're the first victims in this new round of killings. Their murders are both violent and bloody. The rest of the film shows the killer luring the victims to the house over the phone. The killer goes by the name Mary Ann, who happens to be Jeff's mother, who as far as he knows died in childbirth. And his father turns out to be none other than his grandfather! The ending itself could have been written a lot better, but the person who turns out to be the killer is a bit of a surprise. But alas, that too turned into a letdown.

The biggest problem with this film is the lighting, or lack thereof. Almost the entire movie is filmed at night, and there seems to be little, if any lighting. There's a scene in the local newspaper office (run by Carradine) where the entire shot seems to be lighted by the single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling! Even the flashlights aren't powerful on this movie (the scene from BLAIR WITCH PROJECT with Heather holding the flashlight to her face is reminiscent of this).

Overall, it's watchable. But the poor lighting, confusing sub-plots and the bad ending pulls it down from a three to a two.

Family Issues..
SILENT NIGHT BLOODY NIGHT concerns an old house that used to be a mental institution. In 1935 (on christmas eve), the "inmates" were released to murder their tormenting captors. In 1973, someone is killing people again, someone connected to the house and it's evil history. Why are certain victims being selected? What is their connection to that awful day in '35? John Carradine is one of those stalked by the insane killer. A surprising amount of gore will thrill gorehounds. No nudity or profanity. A nice twist near the end. Better than fruitcake for christmas...

Great Movie
I bought this movie because it was on the sale rack of my local video store, and it looked interesting...this movie is by far one of the best movies i have ever seen..it is very well written and keeps you guessing until the end.. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

SILENT NIGHT,BLOODY NIGHT DVD
A REAL CREEPY HORROR MOVIE WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF WEIRD CHARACTERS. MARY WORONOV IS EXCELLENT IN HER ROLE.THIS IS A SICK MOVIE DEFINITELY WORTH CHECKING OUT. TESS, YOUVE GOTTEN OLDER AND FATTER! SEE THIS ONE!!!! A+++++

Silent Night , Sort of Bloody night
This was an interesting film that was par for the time it was made. The filming was sort of interesting especially when showing the view of the serial killer(The First person view sort of speak). The story was pretty good yet a tad over the top but as you know most horror films are a bit over the top. There is one really bloody scene at the beggining of the film that was graphic but after that don't espect too much blood. I thought this scene was done well and pretty graphic even for today's times. The music in this film is a bit hokey on certain parts but not too bad. The acting was not horrible but it was'nt great either. The part of the film that really stands out to me is the flashback scene. This really made the film spooky. The strange filming it used and the crazy story it explaned helped me like the movie alot more than I otherwise would have. The dvd version I saw came in a four horror film pack called horror classic's. I thought the sound could have been improved and certain scenes could have been transfered more clearly to the dvd but I guess I should just be glad it was even made into dvd format. Overall I think the film is worth a watch or two late at night.

Watchable...kinda.
SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT is one of the earliest of the "slasher" flicks. It inspired such movies as BLACK CHRISTMAS and to a lesser extent, SCREAM. There are a lot of things in this movie that have become staples of slasher films, such as the maniac calling the victims on the phone, and keeping the viewers guessing as to the identity of the killer.

The plot for this movie is a good, albeit simple one. The killer calls the eventual victims and lures them to a house where they meet their eventual demise. However, there are a lot of sub plots (rivaling the nighttime soaps Dallas and Dynasty!) that I found a little difficult to keep up with. Like EVIL DEAD, almost the entire movie takes place in a single night (with the exception of flashbacks, obviously). But unlike EVIL DEAD, there isn't really enough action to sustain it.

The cast is pretty well stocked, with early scream queen Mary Woronov, Patrick O'Neal and John Carradine (who was pretty much wasted in his role). The acting is sufficient to above average, but don't look for anything outstanding here. And although the writing suffers a little in my opinion, there is a lot of well-written dialogue in this film.

The base plot is as follows: Wilfred Butler dies, and leaves his house, grounds and all the belongings (which was used as an insane asylum for a few years) to his only surviving relative (isn't it always that way?), Jeff Butler. The only condition is that he has to keep the house in the same state that it was when he owned it. Jeff adheres to his grandfather's wishes for twenty years, but finally decides to sell it. PLOT POINT: The news travels to a local insane asylum, where we see an escape, but we don't know who it is that escapes. I don't think the writers did, either.

Shortly afterwards, Jeff's lawyer and his mistress arrive to sell the house, and decide to stay in the house overnight. Big mistake. They're the first victims in this new round of killings. Their murders are both violent and bloody. The rest of the film shows the killer luring the victims to the house over the phone. The killer goes by the name Mary Ann, who happens to be Jeff's mother, who as far as he knows died in childbirth. And his father turns out to be none other than his grandfather! The ending itself could have been written a lot better, but the person who turns out to be the killer is a bit of a surprise. But alas, that too turned into a letdown.

The biggest problem with this film is the lighting, or lack thereof. Almost the entire movie is filmed at night, and there seems to be little, if any lighting. There's a scene in the local newspaper office (run by Carradine) where the entire shot seems to be lighted by the single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling! Even the flashlights aren't powerful on this movie (the scene from BLAIR WITCH PROJECT with Heather holding the flashlight to her face is reminiscent of this).

Overall, it's watchable. But the poor lighting, confusing sub-plots and the bad ending pulls it down from a three to a two.

Family Issues..
SILENT NIGHT BLOODY NIGHT concerns an old house that used to be a mental institution. In 1935 (on christmas eve), the "inmates" were released to murder their tormenting captors. In 1973, someone is killing people again, someone connected to the house and it's evil history. Why are certain victims being selected? What is their connection to that awful day in '35? John Carradine is one of those stalked by the insane killer. A surprising amount of gore will thrill gorehounds. No nudity or profanity. A nice twist near the end. Better than fruitcake for christmas...

Great Movie
I bought this movie because it was on the sale rack of my local video store, and it looked interesting...this movie is by far one of the best movies i have ever seen..it is very well written and keeps you guessing until the end.. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

SILENT NIGHT,BLOODY NIGHT DVD
A REAL CREEPY HORROR MOVIE WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF WEIRD CHARACTERS. MARY WORONOV IS EXCELLENT IN HER ROLE.THIS IS A SICK MOVIE DEFINITELY WORTH CHECKING OUT. TESS, YOUVE GOTTEN OLDER AND FATTER! SEE THIS ONE!!!! A+++++

Silent Night , Sort of Bloody night
This was an interesting film that was par for the time it was made. The filming was sort of interesting especially when showing the view of the serial killer(The First person view sort of speak). The story was pretty good yet a tad over the top but as you know most horror films are a bit over the top. There is one really bloody scene at the beggining of the film that was graphic but after that don't espect too much blood. I thought this scene was done well and pretty graphic even for today's times. The music in this film is a bit hokey on certain parts but not too bad. The acting was not horrible but it was'nt great either. The part of the film that really stands out to me is the flashback scene. This really made the film spooky. The strange filming it used and the crazy story it explaned helped me like the movie alot more than I otherwise would have. The dvd version I saw came in a four horror film pack called horror classic's. I thought the sound could have been improved and certain scenes could have been transfered more clearly to the dvd but I guess I should just be glad it was even made into dvd format. Overall I think the film is worth a watch or two late at night.

Watchable...kinda.
SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT is one of the earliest of the "slasher" flicks. It inspired such movies as BLACK CHRISTMAS and to a lesser extent, SCREAM. There are a lot of things in this movie that have become staples of slasher films, such as the maniac calling the victims on the phone, and keeping the viewers guessing as to the identity of the killer.

The plot for this movie is a good, albeit simple one. The killer calls the eventual victims and lures them to a house where they meet their eventual demise. However, there are a lot of sub plots (rivaling the nighttime soaps Dallas and Dynasty!) that I found a little difficult to keep up with. Like EVIL DEAD, almost the entire movie takes place in a single night (with the exception of flashbacks, obviously). But unlike EVIL DEAD, there isn't really enough action to sustain it.

The cast is pretty well stocked, with early scream queen Mary Woronov, Patrick O'Neal and John Carradine (who was pretty much wasted in his role). The acting is sufficient to above average, but don't look for anything outstanding here. And although the writing suffers a little in my opinion, there is a lot of well-written dialogue in this film.

The base plot is as follows: Wilfred Butler dies, and leaves his house, grounds and all the belongings (which was used as an insane asylum for a few years) to his only surviving relative (isn't it always that way?), Jeff Butler. The only condition is that he has to keep the house in the same state that it was when he owned it. Jeff adheres to his grandfather's wishes for twenty years, but finally decides to sell it. PLOT POINT: The news travels to a local insane asylum, where we see an escape, but we don't know who it is that escapes. I don't think the writers did, either.

Shortly afterwards, Jeff's lawyer and his mistress arrive to sell the house, and decide to stay in the house overnight. Big mistake. They're the first victims in this new round of killings. Their murders are both violent and bloody. The rest of the film shows the killer luring the victims to the house over the phone. The killer goes by the name Mary Ann, who happens to be Jeff's mother, who as far as he knows died in childbirth. And his father turns out to be none other than his grandfather! The ending itself could have been written a lot better, but the person who turns out to be the killer is a bit of a surprise. But alas, that too turned into a letdown.

The biggest problem with this film is the lighting, or lack thereof. Almost the entire movie is filmed at night, and there seems to be little, if any lighting. There's a scene in the local newspaper office (run by Carradine) where the entire shot seems to be lighted by the single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling! Even the flashlights aren't powerful on this movie (the scene from BLAIR WITCH PROJECT with Heather holding the flashlight to her face is reminiscent of this).

Overall, it's watchable. But the poor lighting, confusing sub-plots and the bad ending pulls it down from a three to a two.

Family Issues..
SILENT NIGHT BLOODY NIGHT concerns an old house that used to be a mental institution. In 1935 (on christmas eve), the "inmates" were released to murder their tormenting captors. In 1973, someone is killing people again, someone connected to the house and it's evil history. Why are certain victims being selected? What is their connection to that awful day in '35? John Carradine is one of those stalked by the insane killer. A surprising amount of gore will thrill gorehounds. No nudity or profanity. A nice twist near the end. Better than fruitcake for christmas...

Great Movie
I bought this movie because it was on the sale rack of my local video store, and it looked interesting...this movie is by far one of the best movies i have ever seen..it is very well written and keeps you guessing until the end.. ... Read more