Reviews (24)

A true guilty pleasure!
I am not ashamed to say I love this film. It is good, clean fun, and absolutely hilarious. It is one of the few films that me and my mom both like. The cast is outstanding, especially Barbara Harris, Karen Valentine, Ruth Buzzi, and Cloris Leachman. I never tire of watching this movie. I call this a guilty pleasure because while most serious film lovers would never even consider this film for a Top Films List, I would. Few films make me laugh like this one.

Underrated Disney Comedy
To me, this is the best movie to come out of Disney's dry spell of the '70's (when it released such stinkers as "Million Dollar Duck" and "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo") . . terrific fun for the whole family. Edward Herrmann (who I normally find an unbearably annoying actor) is quite good as a pastor who finds himself fighting organized crime when one of his church members gambles away church money. (True, he should be angry at the church member, but our reverend believes in tackling the ROOT of the problem). After Herrmann speaks out against organized crime publicly, two FBI agents come to him and ask him for his help in going undercover to expose these gangsters. He asks for help from his congregation, and the only ones who will aid him are 6 indomitable females (Patsy Kelly, Virginia Capers, Barbara Harris, Cloris Leachman, Karen Valentine, and - later - Susan Clark). You'll relish every second that you see all of the ladies on the screen, especially the scatterbrained soccer mom Harris (her funniest scene takes place in a grocery store, as she spies on one of the pickup men); the constantly-primping Leachman; and tough-as-nails Capers. Features a cute cameo by Ruth Buzzi as part of a church committee out to remove Herrmann (she ends up joining the ladies to fight the criminals). Unfortunately, I find that the film suffers when nervous Fed Michael Constantine leaves the project in the Reverend's hands; his exasperated scenes with the ladies are among the most enjoyable in the film. Another small drawback is the cutesy way in which the movie treats organized crime . .you'll never believe for a second the gangsters are really out to hurt these ladies. The film's final moments, a "demolition derby" of sorts, will delight kids. I can remember absolutely loving this film as a kid . . I'm positive one day Disney will remake it (hopefully they do it justice).

North Avenue Irregulars
A Disney Classic at its best. Great that Disney releasing the old time films like this one about a man of the cloth and the church people trying to save their church from being torn down. The only problem is that Disney needs to release these older titles to a wider range of stores and many of use end up special ordering or ordering on line because they can't find them in their stores.

Local Grannies Cleans Up Neighborhood
This film is very entertaining and definitely for all audiences. A group of elderly ladies forms a "neighborhood watch", or better a "neighborhood clean-up crew". They join forces to rid their formerly "nice neighborhood" of the trash that gives it a bad name.

Fearless and determined, the "North Avenue Irregulars" (played by many familiar comediennes) show the bad guys who's boss and reclaim their "turf". Many laughs, and a timely message: Don't let the scum take over your neighborhood!****

Funny Comedy about Quirky Church-goers
I have never laughed so hard at such a funny comedy. The movie is about the North Avenue Presbyterian Church, when a church member bets the entire church sinking fund on a horse race and loses. This makes the rest of the church members go on a secret mission to tear up the underground gambling ring in their city. It is a very funny movie and worth the money to add to your collection. ... Read more

Reviews (44)

i'm gonna come right out and say it...
...i don't like season 1!

i don't like dr. erhardt as much as tv's frank (who does?) and the riffing is more sparse and of a slightly weaker style. but i was thinking, for a new fan seeking to discover mst3k, this may not be a bad jumping off point (although manos is a better start).

this episode is indicative of the true original philosophy of mst3k. most of the best episodes aren't mystery or science-oriented (manos, mitchell, many sci-fi eps such as jack frost or final sacrifice), but the crawling hand is a true, cheesy, BAD scifi/horror movie. and that was the original intent of the show: to riff on bad scifi/horror flicks. and the riffing IS good, it's just not as good as it would become in later seasons.

nobody should miss out on this episode, but other episodes are better, and once you're well-versed in mst3k-dom, you'll revisit this episode less often than the others.

You will believe a hand can crawl!
Ah, MST3K Season One. I can see how some people, even MST3K fans, might be disappointed by this video. Instead of TV's Frank, Dr. Forrester has Dr. Larry Erhardt (John Weinstein) for a sidekick, and it is Weinstein rather than Kevin Murphy supplying the voice of Tom Servo. The set looks as cheap as it really was, the silhouettes in the theater are sort of green-looking, Joel sometimes seems to forget which bot is which, and the jokes are sometimes rather lame. However, the show is still hilarious. If you've never seen a Season One episode before, cut Weinstein's Servo voice some slack. Initially, I hated it, but being fortunate enough to have the whole first season on tape, I found that this initial Servo incarnation was actually pretty funny in his own right after I got used to him. This one video probably won't make you a Weinstein fan, but give him a chance.

As for the movie itself, The Crawling Hand was perfect MST3K material--there's a silly plot, an annoying teenager, and some incredibly bad acting. America's space program is apparently run in a little warehouse somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and the scientists there are in a tizzy. On two occasions, a guy has been sent to the moon, landing successfully, then being lost on his way back to earth. This second time, communication is reestablished with the astronaut 20 minutes after he has run out of oxygen. He begs the men in the control room (actually, it's really just a desk) to blow him up before he reenters the atmosphere. The doctor-type guy finally hits the red button. Meanwhile, a supposedly smart slacker goes swimming in the ocean with his Swedish girlfriend, and while they are frolicking around they run across a human hand lying on the beach. Naturally, our hero decides he must have that hand; he sneaks back that night (apparently this is the one beach in California that no one whatsoever goes to) and makes the wonderful hand his own, lovingly placing it in his landlady's storage room behind some relish. Soon, the hand (which does crawl, just like the title says) begins strangling people (that's gonna happen, you know). At this point, the sheriff, AKA Alan Hale (Skipper!), commences an investigation. One print found on the body of the first victim is matched to the fingerprint of the blown-up astronaut, and that's when the Space Boys come out to try and clean up a little of their mess. To complicate matters, our boy who found the hand begins having episodes wherein he turns into an "Elvis zombie" with heavy mascara under his eyes and feels compelled to strangle people himself. As you may have guessed, it all comes down to some hand to hand combat in the end.

I think this is one of the best Season One episodes. I particularly enjoyed one skit in which the guys all pretend to be William Shatner being choked by a disembodied hand. Joel and the bots are still developing the real spirit and style of the show, but the genius is already unmistakably there. Most importantly, I can assure you that this show is very funny.

Haven't we all had a crawling hand in bed?
This DVD set is from the cable tv show, "Mystery Science Theater 3000". They sometimes cut the film down and on-screen throughout the entire film, they mock and criticize it. Just as if you are in the real movie theatre with people talking during the film.
But if you would like to see the entire, uncut version of the movie without MST 3000 intervening, just turn the DVD over for the entire, uncut version in all its glory.
This is the second space mission to go wrong. While space engineers Peter breck and Kent Taylor haggle over the failure of no communication with the astronaut Lockhart who is running out of oxygen, the astronaut begs for space operations to press the red button. This would explode the craft instantly. After merciful pleading from the astronaut, operations comply. This is the second man they have lost upon return entry. Only four astronauts left. They need these men to handle the lunar rocket. What is it on the moon that is driving these men crazy to the point of near-death?
The debris from the exploded space craft has landed like a meteorite. What terror will escape and attack the young teenagers in this California beach town?
Haven't we all had a crawling hand in bed?
Also in the cast: Rod Lauren as "Paul". Allison Hayes as "Donna". Allan Hale Jr as "Sheriff Townsend" (Gilligan's Island tv series). The Crawling Hand was Joseph F. Robertson.

"Mrs. Burke, I thought you...were Dale!"
This episode is just one of many that contain the "deathless" line: "Mrs. Burke, I thought you...were Dale!"

Naturally, our whole family likes these episodes, because we starred in the original 1968 Grape-Nuts TV commercial from which this riff comes. (Yes, Mrs. Burke AND Dale are real, alive, well, and living in the USA.)

Many thanks to MST3K's Best Brains for riffing our commercial decades after it ran (and to Mr. Murphy for helping to clear up the trouble about the origin of this riff)!

The Sound Of One Hand Clasping...
Peter Breck (Big Valley) plays a very intense scientist with the space program. How intense? So intense that I expected his head to sail off at any minute! You see, one of his astronauts (named Lockhart) has gone nuts, pleading with ground control to "push the red button" and blow up his ship. They comply, detonating Lockhart. Meanwhile, a young med student and his girl go swimmig on a california beach. Low and behold, they find a severed arm in an astronaut uniform sleeve! Paul (the med student) comes back for it later, taking it home in a shower curtain. He hides it behind some preserves in his landlady's pantry. The arm starts creeping around, knocking some jars over, waking the landlady, who must investigate. Of course, she gets choked bug-eyed! Unfortunately, the hand doesn't do much else, as it possesses Paul and uses him to cause further mayhem. Enter Alan Hale jr. as the portly sheriff. The rest is pretty dull. Watch it late at night and don't feel too bad if you fall asleep... ... Read more

Amazon.com

After starring in the now-legendary trilogy of spaghetti Westerns for Italian director Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood became a box-office star and imported the style of those classic shoot-'em-ups for this 1967 Western directed by Ted Post, with whom Eastwood had worked during their days on the television series Rawhide. Eastwood plays an innocent rancher who is mistaken for a cattle rustler and sentenced to hang by an angry mob. When he is saved from the noose by a passing lawman, he embarks on a renegade campaign of vengeance against the men who attempted to lynch him. Hang 'Em High offers a number of memorable moments and stylistic flourishes, and features a superb supporting cast of Western veterans, including Ben Johnson, Ed Begley, Pat Hingle, Dennis Hopper, Bruce Dern, L.Q. Jones, and the "Skipper" himself, Alan Hale Jr. Made just three years before Dirty Harry, the film marked a turning point for Eastwood, who would soon move into a prolific period of contemporary thrillers. The digital video disc offers standard and widescreen formats and a remastered soundtrack. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (31)

Eastwood, home on the American range
After earning major stardom with Sergio Leone's spaghetti western trilogy, Clint Eastwood turned down both Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" and Carl Foreman's "MacKenna's Gold" to star in and co-produce this tightly scripted, well-acted western directed by "Gunsmoke" veteran Ted Post. It proved a good choice. If not a masterpiece on the order of Leone's film, or a star studded spectacular like Foreman's offering, "Hang 'Em High" was something the other two were not: a hit. It's also intelligent and makes some interesting if subtle comments on the meaning of justice. The clean-shaven Eastwood is fine as Jed Cooper, a former marshal who once more wears a badge to hunt down the men who hanged him as an alleged cattle thief, but Pat Hingle as a hanging judge who is even more vengeance minded than Eastwood offers the standout performance. Bruce Dern, Bob Steele, Ben Johnson, Joe Sirola, Dennis Hopper, and Alan Hale, Jr. (yes, the Skipper from "Gilligan's Island") are among the notable character actors who appear throughout, and Dominic Frontiere's music score, including the title theme that would go on to be a hit for Booker T and the MGs, is excellent.

Exciting, thoughtful western
After earning major stardom with Sergio Leone's spaghetti western trilogy, Clint Eastwood turned down both Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" and Carl Foreman's "MacKenna's Gold" to star in and co-produce this tightly scripted, well-acted western directed by "Gunsmoke" veteran Ted Post. It proved a good choice. If not a masterpiece on the order of Leone's film, or a star studded spectacular like Foreman's offering, "Hang 'Em High" was something the other two were not: a hit. It's also intelligent and makes some interesting if subtle comments on the meaning of justice. The clean-shaven Eastwood is fine as Jed Cooper, a former marshal who once more wears a badge to hunt down the men who hanged him as an alleged cattle thief, but Pat Hingle as a hanging judge who is even more vengeance minded than Eastwood offers the standout performance. Bruce Dern, Bob Steele, Ben Johnson, Joe Sirola, Dennis Hopper, and Alan Hale, Jr. (yes, the Skipper from "Gilligan's Island") are among the notable character actors who appear throughout, and Dominic Frontiere's music score, including the title theme that would go on to be a hit for Booker T and the MGs, is excellent.

Hung at high noon!
Clint Eastwood's movie, Hang 'em High, is very interesting and dramatic. The plot of this movie was predictable but that is quiet alright. The producer and director probably wanted to convey some other message and hence a standard plot was chosen.

Clint Eastwood is a rancher who is strung up at high noon by a bunch of thugs from a nearby town. They accuse him of murder and theft of cattle. Eastwood however does not die. A US Marshall recues him and brings him to the judge for trial. Judge aquitts Eastwood.

It so happens that Eastwood was a ex-lawman and judge appoints him as a Marshall. Then begins the story of revenge and justice as Eastwood hunts down the vigilante mob that tried to hang him.

There are many interesting questions raised in the movie. What is the relationship between Revenge and Justice? How should justice be dealt out? It is a thought-provoking movie although it has somewhat banal action scenes. Regardless, it's a movie worth your money.

"When you hang a man, You better look at him!!!!!
Hang'em High is one of my favorite westerns. Clint Eastwood is awsome in the role of Jed Cooper, a cowboy who is mistaken for a rustler and gets hanged. After being rescued by a sherriff and given a job as a lawman, Cooper seeks revenge on the 9 men who hung him.
Hang'em High is a good'ol western that's packed with great actors, like Alan Hale Jr. (Giligan's Island) Ed Begley. L.Q. Jones, Dennis Hopper, and in a brief role as a preacher, James MacArthur(Hawaii Five-O), and Bob Steele, in the role as a prison inmate. If you like westerns with Clint Eastwood, give Hang'em High a try.

Hi-Noon Gloom at Solar Eclipse of Justice
Great and terrific western, although a bit incomplete compared to his later American movies, featuring a Clint Eastwood youngster once more, or already, in search of Justice.

How come so many of those Eastwood Westerns remind one of the epics of the Christian narrations of the Gospel themes? It has to be borne in mind that the colonization of the West was once undertaken by deeply religious believers and pious colons, fleeing religious persecutions by bigots, various religious hypocrits and other political imperialists and oportunists. Redemption is and was always strictly a business of individuals, and the Far Wild West narrational environment is or was able to bring out a suitable environment and circumstances for the depiction of the various themes of redemption. Clint Eastwood, in his half-a-dozen or so mythical Westerns, has usually done a great job at this.

In this movie, the heroe (self-tortured as usual with a high inner sense of justice) almost loses his life several times, once in an expedient summary judgement followed by an attempted lynching by a bunch of respectable criminal outlaws in search of an innocent scapegoat, another time by an attempted cold-blooded execution, barely escapes each time with notable scars and (Christ-like) stigmatas, to go out to seek justice and revenge.

In all of Clint Eastwood's westerns, this is a major theme. The world looks like a rather gloomy place, haunted by the lost and the wicked, where there is neither justice nor reprieve for a few righteous ones, and Clint Eastwood incarnates a type of Christ, or avenging Angel, usually back from the Dead or almost-Dead, in a lonely search or quest for justice in a lost world.

For a subsequent illustration of these themes, see the following

- Unforgiven: The Redeemer of Blood pushed to His utter limits
- Pale Rider: The Redeeming and Avenging Angel, or Man with a Mission
- The Outlaw Josey Wales: Moses, the Hunted One turned Leader in the Wilderness
- High Plains Drifter: The Resurrected Righteous, or His Angel, or His Next of Kin , bringing down Retribution to a wicked town (Caphernaum by the Sea)

Although Hang 'em High presents some of the above-mentionned themes in a barely embryonic fashion, these subsequent four Western movies developped the theme matter to further epic dimensions, besides allowing for a few very realistic and authentic western entertainments. Highly watchable. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Hysterical gangster spoof--a cult classic!
This is one of those movies which will have you repeating lines over and over to your friends.

Twelve-year-old Johnny Kelly earns an honest living as a paperboy with his prematurely aged mother and his law-engrossed little brother, Tommy. To pay for an urgent surgery for his mother (the first of a seemingly eternal series), Johnny joins the mob and grows to adulthood as a suave ladies' man. But first, rival crime boss Roman Moroni (Richard Dimitri, who murders the English language and his rivals) (Moroni had a lot of rules for his gang. Number one: never park in his private parking space (explosion)) and later, fellow gang member Danny Vermin (Joe Piscopo) will pay any price to stop him . . . not to mention Tommy, who has just graduated from law school and intends to fight crime, not knowing that his brother runs most of it!

Absolutely hysterical. Maureen Stapleton delights as Ma Kelly, and Griffin Dunne turns in an absolutely hysterical straight man role as Tommy Kelly, and is played upon by Johnny (Michael Keaton), Stapleton, and Danny DeVito (as Tommy's crooked boss, District Attorney Burr, who subsequently dies in a beer commercial). Watch for a hysterical performance by Hal Riddle, as an obsequious prison warden, anxious to do anything possible for his celebrity prisoner. (When Johnny asks to have his execution moved up as part of an escape plot, "Fry me tonight!", Riddle replies "Anything for you, Johnny! . . . We'll bump Steinberg. Dangerously will go to the chair tonight.")

The plot doesn't make much sense, but don't worry too much about it, you'll be too busy laughing to worry about such things!

The Only Good Mob Spoof
You would think that mob life would be one of the easiest things for a movie to spoof. However, Johnny Dangerously is the only good one to have been made, and there have been a lot of mob spoofs made. JD is set in the 1920s and focuses on the glamour days of the mafia.

The title role is perfect for Michael Keaton. He plays a suave ladies man that is a more sensitive mob boss. His foil is played by Joe Piscopo in the person of Danny Vermin. Piscopo has the funniest lines in the movie, "It shoots through schools".

Johnny has gotten involved in the mob because of his ailing mother. He needs money to pay her medical bills and for his brother's education. His brother, Tommy, decides that he wants to become a district attorney so that he can take down the mafia. Tommy doesn't know that Johnny Dangerously is really his brother Johnny Kelly. Throw in the fact that Tommy's boss, played by Danny DeVito, is on the mob payroll and you get an altogether hilarious movie.

Some of the funniest scenes in JD feature Richard Dimitri as rival mob boss Roman Moroni completely butchering the English language, "You fargin iceholes". JD is certainly good for more than a few laughs.

Don't give much creedence to Amazon's Editorial Review...
I won't bore everyone with another description of this movie -- please read other positive reviews for that. This review is more of a defense against the Editorial Review written by Tom Keogh. It's a shame that his remarks are given primary visibility to any potential customers looking for a fantastic comedy that, in my and many other opinions, stands the test of time. I recently re-watched this movie, for about the 7th time, as it was being re-run on one of the premium channels. As I was laughing from-my-gut at the same one-liners and scenarios I almost know-by-heart, I realized that this was definitely a film to add to my DVD library. If you are a prospective buyer that has never seen this movie, and you enjoy comedies in the vain of Mel Brooks, Monty Python, and "Amazon Women on the Moon", I can almost guarantee that you will LOVE this film. It's one Michael Keaton's best comedic works -- as good or better than "Night Shift", but in a totally different way -- and I couldn't disagree more with Tom Keogh's remarks...

A must for your comedy movie library!
One of the funniest films you will every see. Keaton is superb, and the rest of the cast ain't bad, either! Even the music soundtrack is right on the mark. I've seen it many times and look forward to many more.

JOHNNY DANGEROUSLY
I half to agree with the other reviewers. This movie was great and very well done. The way to find a good movie is to read the critics and if they don't like the movie, you can bet you'll love it. Everyone in this movie did a great job!! ... Read more

Description

Adventure, drama and romance of an outlaw ship and the = people aboard her. Based on Andrew Geer's novel. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A rather strange role for the Duke, but a great fim!
I just recently stumbled onto this movie while searching through Amazon for war movies, and hesitated getting it because I had never heard of it before. Though available through Amazon channels on VHS, it wasn't the easiest to obtain.I finally got it on VHS though, and immediately found it to be a great little movie.It is now, of course, available on DVD, thankfully.

As my title suggests, and other reviewers have already noted, this is a strange role for the Duke. It is hard to imagine him as anything but an all-American hero. That being said, he put in a performance equal to any he has done before or after this movie. The beautiful Lana Turner added a valuable dimension to the film, and I was amazed at the number of familiar faces in the picture. As the movie was made in 1955, some of the more familiar faces were just getting started, and have become familiar to us after seeing them in many other films or on TV. Tab Hunter, Alan Hale, Jr (Skipper on Gilligan's Island), James Arness (Gunsmoke) are just a few. You'll be surprised at how many others you will recognize.

The story is a simple one. John Wayne has been demoted to a tramp steamer after, what must have been, an honorable career in the German Navy. He "earned" this demotion after making his opposition to the Nazis common knowledge. Even though he has no use for Hitler and crew, he is a German nationalist through and through. His aging ship is docked in Australia as the invasion of Poland by Hitler and the Nazis begins, bringing England and, of course, Australia to war with Germany. He has two choices--either being interned in Australia, along with his crew, or making a run for home. The title tells you what choice he makes. Lana Turner is a German agent "engaged" to a British Naval officer. This officer happens to be an old friend of Wayne's from a previous life. One thing leads to another, and she ends up with Wayne when he leads his ship in a breakout. Her "ex" becomes a lead officer in the chase across the seas, and the plot thickens from here on. Confused? Not if you see the movie. The ending is a bit unusual and unexpected, at least to me, although you sense something similar has to happen. I won't give it away, but getting to the end is suspensful and entertaining.

The Duke is every bit the true to form hero in this movie, German or not. As others have mentioned, there is no attempt at accents by any, other than the Aussies, and that makes it difficult to see any of them as Germans, especially without the stereotypical Nazi uniforms and insignia.

All-in-all, I enjoyed the movie, and am happy to recommend it and add it to my collection. I am very happy to see it come out on DVD, since it was getting more difficult to find on it VHS. If you have a chance to see it--do. If you collect war genre movies, as I do, it is a valuable addition to any collection.
One of John Wayne's better movies even though it is, perhaps, not as well known.

Epic World War II Intrigue

It's almost axiomatic that whatever movie John Wayne was part of could be given several stars, but this one is so atypical to his roles that it is seems unusual that he would choose it.

Recently I saw the movie on AMC, not having watched the movie in many years. Recently too, I became aware that the DVD had been issued. Having a good impression of the movie after seeing it on AMC, I purchased the DVD.

I prefer John Wayne in westerns, and am most familiar and comfortable with the 'saddle em up & move em out' roles, that it takes a bit of role switching to see him as a World War II German freighter captain. But John Wayne was so adaptable in his acting abilities that it comes across just fine; and with Lana Turner, an oft-times underrated actress, his performance gets only better.

If you like a World War II action adventure based on fact, intertwined with human interest, this is a very good DVD to add to your collection.

Recommended.

Great Sea Adventure
Even though John Wayne plays a German sea Captain during WWII this film is concerned more with adventure than politics and that's what makes it work. The stereo sound is outstanding. There are many character actors throughout this movie. It's a good one.

Karl Ehrlich just wants to go home
This story is told secondhand by Cmd. Jeff Napier as he recalls it. So it is one long flashback with narration.

Capt. Karl Ehrlich (John Wayne) is the German captain of a tramp steamer in an Australian harbor. Cmd. Jeff Napier an old friend is showing off his new fiancée Elsa Keller (Lana Turner). From their eye movement it looks as though the captain and Elsa know each other. When the commander steps out, Karl confronts Elsa with her past and sends her packing.

Things heat up pretty fast from here. Even though the captain is an old naval officer he was dismissed when he opposed the Nazi régime. But he is still a German nationalist. With the invasion of Poland Australia is dragged into the war leavening Karl with only a small chance of sneaking the ship out in the fog. At the last minute the German Consulate hands him one of their best agents (spies). One guess as to who that agent may be.

Now the chase is on and Cmd. Jeff Napier has a professional and personal reason to track down Karl before he reaches Germany.

The real story is that of the action between the different members of the crew. The nature of the agent adds complications to the voyage. And there is a conflict of morals aboard.

Will Capt. Karl Ehrlich make it home?
Or will Cmd. Jeff Napier blow him out of the water?
What becomes of Elsa?

"What flag is that sir? It does not have a swastika."
"That is the German Imperial Battle Flag"

A fun side interest in this movie is that instead of the standard John Wane repertoire of actors, this is an interesting mix including, Tab Hunter, James Arness, and Claude Akins.

A Wayne romantic film in style of John Wayne
A common John Wayne film with typical John Wayne styles and macho manners.The German Captain is nobody but John Wayne.He talked like John Wayne, acted like John Wayne.Even romaticises like John Wayne.A simple John Wayne film except he was dressed in German Uniform. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

EXCELLENT Film / DVD Good (Better than Video)
This is an outstanding movie for many reasons. For cinema fans only familiar with the "rat pack", this Frankie may be an eye opener. YOUNG AT HEART (1954) is a showcase for Frank Sinatra's excellent acting. He is intense, focused & nuanced, becoming one with "Barney Sloan," a gifted musician suffering through multiple "bad breaks" since birth & sorely lacking confidence.

Doris Day also brings much to this classic with a very moving performance. She is warm, lovely & upbeat as the woman of Sinatra's dreams, & so expressive in her eyes! The chemistry between these two actors grows with their characters' relationship; they share a number of memorable scenes together. They are surrounded by a very good supporting cast, especially Gig Young & Ethel Barrymore.

This is a romantic drama with superb singing. Doris & Frank's duet together is "You, My Love", which is a personal favorite. Ms. Day delivers several 50's pop songs beautifully. Frank makes his impact here as the saloon singer, with brilliant, moving renditions of "Someone to Watch Over Me," "One for My Baby," & "Just One of Those Things."

Initially, this film is light-hearted & glossy - until Barney Sloan arrives. There are multiple issues that his character brings to the surface such as: "destiny" & the strength of the human will, the pain of loneliness, the power of hope, life-changing experiences, & recognizing "love".

It's worth noting that the forty-eight year old YOUNG AT HEART was actually a re-make of a 1938 mega-hit "Four Daughters", & carries over some of its plot contrivances. . Don't let this bog you down. This little gem rises above it.

In my opinion, the DVD is a visual improvement over the fuzzy video. Having both the Video / 40th anniversary edition & now the DVD, I've watched each, sometimes scene by scene, to compare, both on the same television. This video has the same small scratches, circles / spots that can be viewed on the DVD; note the gingerbread scene in the kitchen. The DVD's Major Plus: visual details, such as skin & facial features, are improved: Doris' cute freckles are back; thankfully, the character "Amy" no longer has a blackened tooth when she is tying Gig Young' s tie (as seen in Video); and Frank's face shows some scars in close ups, a realistic touch for his character. Actually, the DVD's visuals, preceeding the film, are quite beautiful! The DVD is reasonably priced, although I would have been willing to pay a little more for some extras, such as behind the scenes photos... Now if the film preservationists could help restore the original negative of this classic movie, that would be wonderful. YOUNG AT HEART deserves it -- How about it , AMC? .

TOTALLY ROMANTIC AND GREAT MUSIC
Sinatra's portrayal of Barney Sloane (who is one of my all-time favorite characters in movies) is what really MAKES this film great. It's gritty, his acting is seamless - this film has some of his best acting ever. In fact, there IS no Frank Sinatra in this film, only Barney Sloane - I was totally engrossed in the character and he made me forget he was Frank Sinatra - now THAT's acting! Also, Doris Day is at her absolute best in this film. The chemistry between her and Frank is so much more exciting to watch than her work with Rock Hudson, who is like cardboard compared to Doris and Frank together. Great songs from Doris, and an absolutely PERFECT selection of songs by Frank. This film is sad, joyful, but most of all, ROMANTIC. Highly recommended if you want to feel your Heart!

Great Tear Jerker
This movie features Frank Sinatra in a rare very moral dramatic role. He is a sad low person who meets the ever beautiful Doris Day. Well she falls in love with his boss the ever impressive Gig Young. But then one day she finds out that her older sister has a crush on Gig. So she marries Frank. Well their married live is full of hardships and depression. And poverty. But when they have a baby at the end of the movie Franks outlook on life changes and he becomes cheerful once again. Great tearjerker. Catch Frank singing the title song Young At Heart!

Doris Day must choose Gig Young or Frank Sinatra.
Doris Day plays "Laurie", one of three daughters who live with Pop (Robert Keith) and his sister, Aunt Jessie (Ethel Barrymore) who keep the young ladies in line. Fran (Dorothy malone) just got engaged to Alan Hale Jr. (Gilligan's Island). Laurie and Amy (Elizabeth Fraser) make a deal to have a double wedding when they finally find the right guys or end up as old maids. Laurie has a new beau, Gig Young. Then Gig Young hires Frank Sinatra, a traveling piano player, to write music for him. Doris meets Frank in the family house and is sweet to him. One day, Gig Young professes his love to Laurie and they decide to get married. However, Amy secretly had feelings for Gig Young and Frank Sinatra had some feelings for Laurie. Frank tells Laurie, "Sometimes when you're on the outside looking in, you see some things other people can't". Things are about to change and not to as orginally planned. If you have not seen this one before, it's a real soap opeara doozy! Great set of a neighborhood and family house.

Never too Young!!
YOUNG AT HEART is a decent melodrama intersped with a couple of musical numbers featuring the musical talents of Doris Day and Frank Sinatra. Doris Day's numbers are light and upbeat and Frank Sinatra plays meloncholy blues (as a 'piano man' at bar dives, i.e "One For my Baby-One More for the Road"). The only time they actually sing together is a duet near the end of the picture but its worth the wait because its a great song and a great performance. However, the dramatic scenes they share are just as good as Day and Sinatra have good onscreen chemistry. Its a shame they only made this one film together because they were good friends professionally off screen as well. Day/Laurie Tuttle is one of three musical prodigy daughters to Gregory Tuttle (Robert Keith -Lt. Brannigan in GUYS AND DOLLS). A songwiter, Alex Burke (Gig Young-THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY?)charms his way into the family home becoming a border to get inspiration to writing a musical. He becomes the object of affection to the three daughters, but is smitten with Laura immediately. However, when he brings in a piano player, Barney Sloan (Sinatra) to help out, Laura falls for his low self-esteemed but talented musician personality. Sinatra gives a very low-key understated performance as the angry (thinks-he-has-no-talent) piano player and Day is as good as always. The rest of the film is a little predictable, but entertaining and engrossing nontheless as love triangle(s) and misunderstandings arise as part of the drama. Gig Young's character and performance as the charming good guy and lovable songwriter is a bright spot in the film but it is slightly overshadowed by magnitude and presence of the two lead performers. All together, a film with a palusible melodrama plot, great songs, and most notable for the one time pairing of Day and Sinatra who have great on screen presence together. Lastly an overlooked performance by Gig Young. Note: Look for Alan Hale, Jr. (The Skipper of Gilligan's Island)in a supporting role and also,the great Ethel Barrymore (Grand aunt of Drew) as Aunt Jessie. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

one of the best films of all time
There is no doubt, this is one of the best films ever made. It is based on a true story, based during the Korean War. You better have plenty of Kleenex available--it's a tear-jerker. Don't miss this one.

Finding God Amidst The War
Rock Hudson stars as a minister who feels he has lost his calling and returns to the Air Force (he had fought in WWII) to train Korean soldiers during the Korean War. He and his men become involved with a group of Korean orphans and a young Korean/Indian woman that cares for them. While the war rages on, Hudson begins to find his way back to God, while also trying to protect the orphans. I initially believed that this was a war-action film, only to be surprised that, although there are several good fighting sequences, this was a more personal story of finding faith. Surprisingly, it meshes together well with the action. Hudson is earnest in his portrayal of the real life colonel, and he is well supported by Dan Duryea as one of his men/sidekick. There are some great lines about faith, and some of them made me think, especially the belief that God allows things to happen for reasons that may not be clear to us now, however bad they may seem at the time. In light of what has gone on in the world lately, this is a comforting thought. Battle Hymn is a well crafted, inspiring movie that never seems to preach, yet it certainly makes its points.

A HYMN TO HIM AND HER - MORE LOVE THAN WAR!
"Battle Hymn" is the story of a minister (Rock Hudson) who returns to train Korean soldiers to fight after he feels he has lost his calling. Of course he finds redemption and his true faith when he becomes involved with a group of Korean orphans and a young Korean/Indian woman that cares for them. Despite several brilliantly staged action sequences this film is not so much a war saga as it is a tale of introspection and finding courage in religion to carry on. The reason is simple; the film's director is Douglas Sirk - known for his soppy, sloppy and gushy melodramas that ooz treacle over substance, like "Imitation of Life" and "Written on the Wind". The blend of both adventure and drama is seamless. "Battle Hymn" is an intelligently-crafted and inspiring without being stoic or preachy.
THE TRANSFER: Overall the picture quality is nicely rendered but the ravages of time have not been kind in a few spots. Age related artifacts are present throughout - sometimes glaringly so. Black levels are often weak and fine detail is lost in the darkest scenes. Digital anomalies are not an issue for a generally smooth visual presentation. The audio is nicely presented - if somewhat dated.
EXTRAS: None.
BOTTOM LINE: "Battle Hymn" is finely wrought melodrama tinged with the prerequisite of combat that all war films have in common. The DVD is admirably realized but is not reference quality. Still, it's definitely worth a look.

this is the film to watch over the next few weeks.
A tribute to the essential benevolence of the US Army, and a justification of necessary warfare, 'Battle Hymn' was made with the full co-operation of the army (which allows for some spectacular airfights and picturesque bombings). It is introduced by an endearingly stolid miltary mandarin, General Earle Partridge of the US Fifth Air Force, posing against the eloquent priapic might of a grounded bomber. This is a propaganda film that shows the army as decent saviours of the world, protectors of the innocent; it displays the urgent need for heavy armaments and the engagement in warfare with totalitarian threats to that innocence.

The film is directed by Douglas Sirk, who has been for the last three decades the test case for the possibility within the monolithic global Hollywood industry of inserting a critical voice, of working within the system but producing films that go against the grain. Sirk's major legacy is a series of Universal melodramas from the 1950s, in which he took a despised, 'female', corny, conservative genre, and created the most devastating critiques of 50s America we have, with its mindless and mind-destroying conformism, its patriarchal repressions, its racism.

the films, being 'women's pictures', naturally focus on the domestic, on the interior lives of socially imprisoned characters. 'Battle Hymn', on the other hand, is a war film, male-dominated and set in the wide-open desert spaces of Korea. Nevertheless, Sirk finds a way to 'domesticate' this macho genre, with his feminised, camp soldiers; with his preponderance of cramped, interior shots.

there is a conscious opposition in this film that goes to the heart of the American 'problem' that would explode so traumatically in Vietnam. In the 1950s, when this film was made, America was led by a grounded military man, fetishised the family, and encouraged socially adhesive religious values. And yet Dean Hess, a vicar, a man of god, a family man, cannot live in this America. America is no longer fit for American men, primed by the Second World War, to live in. His marriage is sterile - only when he leaves does his wife become pregnant, and does he find the possibility of family in the shape of the teacher and Chu.

In an America so brightly optimistic and confident as Eisenhower's, any trauma cannot be spoken publicly. Any 'illness' must be taken outside and dealt with there. Hence the profusion of US military activity in the 20th century, a doomed attempt to atone for guilt and failure, which only results in the mass murder of foreigners.

'Battle Hymn' is quite a provocative film, with a hero and his sidekick called Herrmann and Hess, with two graphic bombings by the army of an orphanage and of fleeing refugees. The film is called 'Battle Hymn', and is an attempt to unite the conflicting US ideals of religion and militarism - Hess flails around wildly for the assurance that his murderous actions are not his fault, but part of God's will, sanctioning further brutalities. He is often ironically compared to Christ, when he is actually a mixture of the antiChrist and Midas, killing everything he touches. The only way he can save lives is to 'sacrifice' others.

'Battle Hymn' does not equate war with religion (a deus ex machina is epically ironic), but exposes the pathology of the army: the predominantly dull mise-en-scene matching the grey uniforms. American military imperialism is mirrored in the attempts to Americanise the Korean children, teaching them to eat 'candy', swallow Christianity and sing English. Any native rituals don't exist as examples of an alternative or older culture, but as theatrical expressions of Hess' moral progress.

the film also points to Sirk's great 'race' masterpiece of three years later, 'Imitation of life': in real America, segregation would have prevented Hess and Maples befriending one another. Here, they are made equal in the army, united by baby-killing and its justification by God.

Inspiring but Not Always factual
Once again, Hollywood has taken a true story, changed or omitted facts and passed it off as the real thing. Despite that, this is an inspiring and poignant movie and as another reviewer here said, this is the type of movie they don't make any more.

The stoic Rock Hudson plays Colonel Dean E. Hess, a real life WW II fighter pilot who comes to Korea to train the first ROKAF pilots in American aircraft and tactics. However, there are some glaring inconsistencies in this movie and what happened in real life to Dean Hess.

For one thing, Hess already had a degree in theology and was in graduate school when he became an aviation cadet in the Air Corps during WW II. He received his ordination and elected to return to the Air Force and make it his career postwar. It was not as the result of Korea itself or any deep spiritual problem. From what I read, when he bombed the orphanage or hospital in Germany during WW II, he did not have the problems portrayed in the movie.

The Anna Kashfi character, En Soon Whang was an older women in her 50s and not a beautiful, half-Korean - half Indian teacher. She was Korean and had lost two sons in WW II and in Korea. She had already helped start and maintain an orphanage. Then Major Hess helped out, along with many other Americans and the kiddy lift did happen. But not like in the movie.

This movie is inspiring because it does show the power of faith as well as Hess's value to a fellow pilot and long-term friend who he helps at the hour of his death. That was perhaps one of the most powerful parts of the movie, because his friend, a typical fighter pilot, has no foundation on which to stand. As he says to Hess, "I realize I was afraid to live and now, I don't know how to die." The minister in Hess the pilot finds his real calling, and pastors to his dying friend. He makes the transition from this life to the next easier for his friend and the other pilot is able to die peacefully. It is at that point that Dean Hess finds himself, by stepping outside himself.

I saw this movie for the first time more than 25 years ago on television and was very taken with it. It was at a time before I renewed my own faith. Dean Hess's pastoral counseling to his dying friend had a big impact on me because I had an inordinate fear of death and dying. His words had the effect of helping me conquer that fear and later, led me back to my own relationship with God. Perhaps that is the real (but hidden value) of this movie.

There is also another dimension to this movie that should be mentioned. The aerial sequences are extremely well done. Viewers who are fans of the North American P-51 Mustang will benefit from several scenes of combat flying that show the plane in its best light. In this part of the movie, Hudson manages to convey the competence of Hess as a leader and pilot. He is an excellent manager and teacher and his success training the ROKAF pilots is evident in later scenes.

Finally, one of the things the movie doesn't point out is that Colonel Dean E. Hess remained in the Air Force after the Korean War and not as a chaplain. He retired from active duty in 1971 as a full colonel and he spent the better part of his career as a fighter pilot. He was a man of God to be sure, but he was also a pilot and that is where he made his largest contributions to the service.

Paul Connors ... Read more

Reviews (7)

VW Bug, the Skipper too...
Bad. That's the only way to say it. This movie is "no-budget" film making trying to make an effects extravaganza. And failing. The movie includes the infamous VW Bug as the giant bug, the "hi-tech" science lab which seems to be in high school biology classroom, untold shots of basically meaningless shadows and darkness, and the Skipper from Gilligan's Island as the "comic relief" -- read: spouting corny jokes. The film can be enjoyed two ways: (1) Enjoy the hokiness in the way B-movie can. (2) Watch the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version. The MST3K version is hilarious! This version features hilarious running commentary pointing such details as "Lab provided by Mrs. Johnson's class," or "'But, You can't see anything in this shot!' Be quiet film school grad! I'm the director, you just keep rolling!'" Also there is a running gag about the mobs screaming "Packers!"

The Skipper vs The Interdimensional Arachnid Horde
I've always enjoyed a good enormous insect devouring the Earth film, with some of my favorites being Them! (1954), The Black Scorpion (1957), and even Empire of the Ants (1977), but The Giant Spider Invasion (1975), while having its' moments, barely rates as a blip on the silver screen, or any screen, comparatively speaking.

Directed by Bill Rebane, whose other credits include Monster a-Go Go (1965) and The Capture of Bigfoot (1979), stars Steve Brodie as NASA scientist J.R. Vance. Now, Brodie looked familiar, but I couldn't recall what other films I've seen him in until I looked up his bio and saw such cinematic flotsam as The Wild World of Batwoman (1966) and Jerry Warren's Frankenstein Island (1981)...ugh...I'm still reeling from that last one. The film also stars Barbara Hale (from TV's Perry Mason) as Dr. Jenny Langer, character actor Robert Easton, and Alan Hale Jr. aka the skipper from Gilligan's Island...oh man, I feel a serious cinematic hurting coming on...

The film starts out with some kind of foreign object traveling to Earth, crashing spectacularly on Dan Kester's farm in Hicksville, Wisconsin (okay, the town wasn't named Hicksville, but it shoulda been, given the complete idiotic, backwoods nature of the residents we've met so far). Shortly after impact of the extraterrestrial object, residents begin reporting problems with radios and televisions, but that's the extent of incident. No one really seems to have noticed that a fairly large object from outer space has slammed into a Wisconsin pasture, and even the farmer puts off investigating until the next day. A scientist, Dr. Langer, working at the local observatory does report strange and unusual readings to NASA...to which they dispatch Dr. Vance to investigate.

The following day Kester and his alcoholic wife decide to investigate the strange happening at their farm, and discover a number of cattle have been partially eaten. They also find the impact site, and a number of geodes around the area. After breaking one open, they find what appears to be diamonds inside, and dreams of wealth begin to swirl in their heads. What they missed was the spider that popped out of the geode, and scurried off to do whatever it is spiders do...soon the spiders begin to make frequent appearances, creeping and crawling all over the place. And not just wee, bitty spiders but great big uns, too...and they appear to be hungry. After several townspeople get all et up in a particularly gruesome fashion by the biggest spider (I tell you, he's fifty feet tall if he's a foot!), Dr. Langer and Dr. Vance postulate that the object that crashed to Earth opened up a portal to an alternate universe, one that is populated by spiders, and they are now coming through this portal to Earth. That seems like quite a presumption, but since Vance is a NASA scientist, who am I to argue?

Anyway, various plans begin to formulate, with the scientists looking for a way to close the portal, and local yokels forming gun-toting mobs to hunt down the giant spider what et up their kin. After getting to know the various residents of this small farming community, I formulated my own plan...let the spiders gorge themselves on these knuckleheads, and then perform a tactical nuclear strike on the community. Do they manage to stop the invasion of voracious interstellar arachnids? Or are we all doomed to become space spider sweet meats?

Okay, first of all the effects are really shoddy, but I that doesn't automatically make a film bad. If the acting, script, dialog, direction and/or characters are decent, I can let poor effects slide, especially in the context of low budget filmmaking (the cost of the film was about $250,000 to $300,000). Well, guess what? Most of those elements were pretty shoddy as well...I will say that it did look like a lot of effort and heart were put into this rather doomed production, but it seemed the director was never able to muster anything near the overall impact he was looking for, as I think this was a definite case of over reaching ones' limitations, specifically in the budget department. Alan Hale Jr. makes a few appearances throughout the film as the sheriff, but he spends more time in his office than anything else, making some of the lamest jokes you've ever heard. You can tell the writer tried to inject a comic element into the script, but mostly these elicited a great deal of groaning from this viewer. The funniest elements were the ones not meant to be funny, like the giant spider (it's actually a VW bug with fake legs attached), the theories thrown about by the scientists, and just the general character development. In many scenes real, smaller, spiders were used, and certainly provided many creeps, but what I found even creepier was the casual notion of relations of a biblical nature between some of the characters who where related to each other...none of this was shown, but it was eluded to, and given the characters involved, it was certainly not great stretch of the imagination. (Things that make you go 'ewwwww')

Fred Olen Ray's Retromedia Entertainment provides a decent full screen print (about as good as a VHS copy) here with some noticeable wear and tear at a couple of spots. A real plus is the inclusion of some pretty good special features like an introduction by Akron, Ohio's Son of Ghoul, a mini reproduction of a four page comic book put out at the time of the film's release, a theatrical trailer for the film, and an interview with director Bill Rebane in which he basically points out the weaknesses in his film, lack of money, too many producers (five, at one point), and lack of a decent script, to name a few. Despite my criticisms, I am happy to know that someone out there is releasing films like this on DVD.

Cookieman108

Adds a new dimension to the term VW Bug!
One of the giant spiders in this ridiculous movie is built around a VW bug! Actually it doesn't look that much more ridiculous than any of the other creepy crawlies here. Bad movie fans will enjoy this and the disc looks pretty good. Director interview too.

for B-Movie afficiados only
I saw GIANT SPIDER INVASION double billed with AT THE EARTH'S CORE when it was first released at a drive-in in 1975; I was 6 years old. I finally had the opportunity to see this again almost 3 decades later. Basically this film is a total failure, but don't let that deter you if you have a taste for 70's B-Movie fare. Highlights are Alan Hale("Hi little buddy!!")and in one seen where you can actually see the microphone moving from side to side at the bottom of the screen. Stupid, grimy; for the curious only.

The Skipper vs. The Giant Spiders
Back from the shadows of cheaply made monster movies incorporating a few scares (actually, this had one scare - and I was intoxicated so I'm not certain it was truly meritable of the term "frightening") and a lot of laughs (As the back of the movie's case implies, the "Spider effects" is actually a VW disguised as a Giant Spider from Outer Space, plus there are some laughable yokel mating rituals.) comes The Giant Spider Invasion. It basically adheres to the old monster movie principles, the cheaper the monster and the thinner the reasoning, the better.

Here we have the story of a small Wisconsin town that experiences an unknown object plummeting to Earth, landing close to the farmhouse of the unsavory Dan and Ev Kester. Upon closer inspection of the impact site, the Kesters find droves of their livestock mutilated and worry about what did it, too, until they discover geodes filled with what look to be diamonds - and a more sinister eight-legged cargo that is initially overlooked. Enter the NASA scientists and their loosely scientific hypothesis that states that the crash site is actually a "black hole" emanating energy feeding some soon to be gigantic spiders and you have a truly fun-filled, barely budgeted monster movie!

Be forewarned that the plot is thin, the actors (with the exception of Alan Hale AKA "The Skipper") are subpar, and the effects are almost nonexistent. Knowing this ahead of time, however, leaves you room to enjoy this flashback to an enjoyable time in "horror" cinema. Buy it and experience VW love once again! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Somber but beautiful western adventure
This entertaining and colorful western is about the relationship between red men and white men and the differences in the values and ideals between the two cultures. The film has cavalry-Indian skirmishes and derring-do heroics by wagon train guide Johnny Hawks but the white man's greed for gold is the central theme of this story that undoes a peace treaty and has the Oregon-bound wagon beating a hasty retreat to the fort for safety from Red Cloud's warriors. The trouble centers around two unscrupulous white men who trade whiskey for gold to Indians in exchange for revealing the location of gold on Sioux land. Hawks is less interested in gold than he is in a Sioux maiden for whom he leaves the wagon train to be with against his better judgment. The peace treaty ceremonies at the fort have a patriotic flavor, what with the Indians approaching on horseback in their finest war regalia and fluttering war bonnets and colorful shields to the accompaniment of "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean", and a Mathew Brady protégé is on hand to photograph the event. As Indian fighter Hawks romances the beautiful Onahti, he is pursued by a marriage-minded frontier woman who has her own plans for him when the train gets to Oregon. The film has a brooding quality that's reflected in Franz Waxman's melancholy music score, especially those cues that are highlighted by a lyrical, solo flute.

Indian Fighter
I was very disappointed with this movie.
I saw the original TV airing of this movie in 1962. Over those 40 years, I still remember scenes of the movie, which were not part of this copy. There was a statement at the beginning of the movie, which indicated that the Indian would not speak in their native tongue so the audience would be able to understand the movie better. In addition, I remember that in the end, a soldier (the bugler), silhouetted by the dusk light was standing on a hill holding a girl.
The story line was weak, nearly uninteresting. I felt fidgety watching this poor film. The only thing, which kept me watching, besides the fact that I just threw away good money on this new release, was the fact that I had fond childhood memories of the Indian fighter. But, in all honesty, I have pulled better movies out of Wal-mart's $5.88 bins.
The movie DID appear to be choppy in its story line, as though it might have been pieced together, as if the original film had some damaged parts and were left out. Also, the movie ended abruptly, leaving me feeling cheated. There were several scenes, which looked grainy, as though they might have been 3rd generation copies.
I want a refund! If I had sent this in a theater, I would have walked out and demanded back my ticket price.

THE INDIAN FIGHTER
Have no idea what the guy who complained about the picture being fuzzy, shifting quality and looking chopped up was drinking the night he viewed this movie. Picture quality was excellent and saw no sign of it being chopped up. An excellent western.

disappointment
Either the original or transfer was terribly faulty but picture was poor. Aspect changed from moment to moment. Focus was a bit bleary and night shots were too dark to tell what was going on. And the story, it almost seemed like there were scenes deleted as story line had a very jerky feel to it. As a collector of western films, can only say this ranks among the worst I have purchased.

Kirk Douglas in a pro-Indian pro-environment Western romance
Kirk Douglas is "The Indian Fighter" Johnny Hawks, who returns to the West after the end of the Civil War to lead a wagon train bound for Oregon. Along the way there is the threat of an Indian war stirred up by bad guys Wes Todd (Walter Matthau) and Chivington (Lon Chaney), a couple of whiskey traders who are after gold on Indian land. The Indians in question are led by Red Cloud (Eduard Franz), the Sioux chief who tried to keep the white man from taking over his people's land. Johnny is smitten with Onahti (Elsa Martinelli), the chief's daughter, who distracts him enough from his job to put the wagon train and the local military outpost at risk when Red Cloud's brother is killed.

This 1955 western was filmed on location in Oregon by director André De Toth and the beautiful scenery along with composer Franz Waxman's evocative helps elevate "The Indian Fighter" to above average status. Given the time and genre, some of the scenes between Hawks and Onahti are quite risqué. In the end this is more of a Western romance than a Western action film, and with its inherent sympathy towards both the Indians and the environment, De Toth has made an extremely atypical Western. Elisha Cook has a nice supporting role as Briggs, a character who learned photography from Matthew Brady during the Civil War and has come out West to capture the grandeur of the landscape, and there are several moments when De Toth's has the camera provide the sort of beautiful panoramic shots that Briggs would aspire to take. Not a great Western but there is a lot here that warrants fans of the genre taking a long look.

Trivia Note: Diana Douglas, the wife of Kirk and mother of Michael Douglas at that point in hsitory, plays settler Susan Rogers, who has her eye on Hawks but ends up with hardy Will Crabtree (Alan Hale, Jr.). I remember the actress from playing Professor Tyler on "The Paper Chase." This was the only film the two appeared in together and certain an interesting choice given they each have different love interests. ... Read more

Amazon.com

An appealing cast of film veterans makes this 1977 action-adventure version of Alexandre Dumas's The Man In the Iron Mask particularly watchable. Lloyd Bridges co-stars as swordsman Aramis, one of several Musketeer tutors of young and brave Phillippe (Beau Bridges, Lloyd's son), who doesn't know he's the identical twin brother of King Louis XIV. Captured by Louis, his features briefly disguised by an uncomfortable iron mask, Phillippe is forced to play his villainous sibling in an assassination scenario designed to fool France into believing its mad emperor is dead. Phillippe, however, turns the tables, and with the aid of Aramis, Athos (Jose Ferrer), Porthos (Alan Hale Jr.), and D'Artagnan (Cornel Wilde), makes a bold attempt to take his country's destiny in hand. Also on view are Rex Harrison, Ursula Andress, and Olivia DeHavilland; the star wattage and attractive settings compensate somewhat for director Ken Annakin's stiff and unimaginative direction. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Why censor?
I have a copy of the full version of this movie on VHS and was looking forward to owning a copy on DVD. After receiving a copy of the DVD, I noticed the PG rating. To my dismay, I found that they had censored the 'juicy' parts of the movie. The 'juicy' parts actually portrayed the relationships between the King and his mistress and that between the future Queen and the King's twin brother. I did not find the 'juicy' parts to be offensive in any way but rather it contributed to the storyline as a whole. For censoring the movie, I give it 3 stars. However, I must commend the Studio for the quality of the transfer. The video quality is relatively good compared to the tape version but the audio quality in some parts of the DVD could be improved. I hope that the Studio will produce the full version in due course.

Sensored version
I like the movie but not the version offered by amazon.com. I watched the unrated version in Europe and it was much nicer and made sence. Here I watch a tape and get upset how conversations are cut in the middle just because of the nudity of Silvia Kristel or Ursula Anders. For example, when Louise de La Valliere comes to join the king in bed she gets undressed while they talk. End of the conversation is cut... Believe me, uncut version is not something restricted, it is not even close to be "too bad to show", I do not understand why it is so sensored here. I wish there were an original version to buy.

Old stars play old heroes
This is a fun little diversion for swashbuckling fans. D'Artagnan (Cornell Wilde), Aramis (Lloyd Bridges), Athos (Jose Ferrer), and Porthos (Alan Hale Jr.), prove they still have what it takes to be heroes as King Louis XIV (Beau Bridges) tries to eliminate his twin brother (Beau Bridges) and marry the infanta of Spain. The sword work is not quite as sharp as good Bob Anderson work or as excitingly realistic as William Hobbes, but there is plenty of it in a variety of creative scenarios. It is fun to watch the old actors Ferrer and Bridges work together as Hale tries to keep up and Wilde holds himself aloof. Ursula Andress adds camp appeal as the king's lover. Olivia de Havilland adds credibility in a cameo as the King's mother. There is also a good deal of political intrigue and mistaken identity to keep the story moving along.

Trivia: The role of Athos, here played by Jose Ferrer, is played in the recent "Man in the Iron Mask" by John Malkavich. There is another pair of historical sword-fighting movies set in France where these two actors play the same character. In "Joan of Arc" with Ingrid Bergman, Ferrer plays the Dauphin. The same role was played by Malkavich in "The Messenger: the story of Joan of Ark" with Milla Jovovich. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Very fine RKO western ....and an excellent DVD
SILVER LODE may be the finest western that RKO released in the mid-1950s. With expert and taut scripting, high production values (it's one of producer Benedict Bogeaus' best), excellent direction under the veteran Allan Dwan, this little oater also has two of the best performances of its two male leads: John Payne and Dan Duryea. Payne, a veteran of numerous Westerns for Paramount [e.g., EL PASO and THE EAGLE AND THE HAWK] and Republic [e.g., THE ROAD TO DENVER], here turns in a tour de force as the innocent, but hunted and accused hero. He is very fine indeed, his lines crisply given, adding to the mounting tension. Duryea, one of Hollywood's finest "bad guys," almost outdoes Payne; Duryea is simply studpendous. The final scene between the two--in the town bell tower--is quite striking and remarkable.
Secondary starring roles are filled with some very competent Hollywood veterans---Robert Warwick, Emile Meyer as the town sheriff, Harry Carey Jr. and Alan Hale Jr. as members of Dan Duryea's "posse." Lisbeth Scott is Payne's love interest; she's does quite well.
VCI has given us a fine, clean print, and attaches the original trailer at the end, along with bios of the leading actors, all very helpful.
Silver Lode is the kind of movie that will repay watching from time to time. It is way above average as oaters go. Recommended highly both to those interested in good Western fare and, yes, to others interested simply in good cinema.

Different kind of western
A taut western, very suspenseful. Much has been made of the MacCarthyism theme in this movie and it is there. Well acted with lots of familiar faces from the westerns of the era. The action takes place entirely within a small town which raises the thrill level even more. After all, how can someone remain hidden in such a small place. It is not a typical horse and cowboy shoot-em-up flick. Still though it is exciting to watch. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If it weren't so clearly a product of the precise moment when the U.S. had just suffered the Japanese sneak attacks of December 1941, To the Shores of Tripoli might easily be mistaken for the definitive parody of World War II Hollywood jingoism by a latter-day satirical troupe--say, the SCTV gang. Smartass child of privilege John Payne is sent to Marine boot camp to learn about responsibility and being a team player. Although shot on location at San Diego, the sunny Technicolor training exercises look more like a musical-comedy summer stock company working out. Drillmaster Randolph Scott and fiery-haired nurse Maureen O'Hara love Payne in spite of his myriad obnoxious qualities, and he does have the right stuff, as he demonstrates at the drop of a hat--and the rest of his civilian clothes--the minute he hears about Pearl Harbor over the radio. The finale, a troopship embarkation turned full-scale production number, has to be seen to be disbelieved. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Stupid ... just like a Fox
To phrase this as kindly as possible ... the folks at Fox Home Entertainment are dumber than dirt, especially when it comes to their library of classic movies. They've pulled off some spectacular marketing fiascos over the years ... such as releasing the 1939 box-office smash "Jesse James" on laserdisc in a faded, washed-out print back in the early 1990's; and more recently, pushing their (badly) colorized versions of several Shirley Temple classics into the marketplace on DVD instead of the glorious black and white originals.

But the DVD edition of "To the Shores of Tripoli" represents a new low for the company. This movie received an Oscar nomination for Edward Cronjager's and William Skall's gorgeous candybox TECHNICOLOR cinematography. The title frame of the film itself says: "'To the Shores of Tripoli' in TECHNICOLOR." The DVD box itself says, "1942, COLOR, 86 minutes" under the advertising blurb; and then proclaims "Photographed in TECHNICOLOR" in the credits area. But guess what?!!? The DVD was mastered from a BLACK & WHITE re-release print, and not the original Technicolor negative! Hello, 11th-Century Fox! That churning sound you hear is former studio head Darryl F. Zanuck spinning 'round and 'round in his grave. Unfortunately, this movie is just not worth watching unless you get to marvel at Maureen O'Hara's beautiful tresses in all their flame-colored glory!

But that's not the only blunder on this disc or its packaging. In the box describing the DVD's features, the aspect ratio is correctly noted as 1.33:1, Full Frame Format. However, the last line on the bottom of the box's back panel notes: "WIDESCREEN VERSION: Presented in a letterbox format preserving the aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition." Huh! Who proofreads this stuff? And while I'm on a rant ... the actress featured on the front of the DVD looking soulfully at John Payne - and who is also featured in a scene still on the back of the box - is none other than fourth-billed Nancy ("The Bad Seed") Kelly, who played the distaff second lead in the film. NOT that you would know from reading the DVD box, since Fox didn't bother to give the future Oscar-nominee even a small feature credit.

Fox Home Entertainment, get it together! At this point, you're the laughingstock of the industry, despite having some of the best classic films ever made in your library ("The Grapes of Wrath", "The Ox-Bow Incident", "Laura", "Leave Her to Heaven", "Pinky", "A Letter to Three Wives", etc., etc.). We're waiting patiently for these goodies ... and praying you won't screw them up too badly when you finally get around to releasing them.

The DVD version is misrepresented.
I bought a copy of the DVD version of this movie which I had seen in the theatres many years ago. When I started the movie I noticed it was in black and white, not in color as the movie was photographed in and what the DVD jacket said it was in. Thinking the DVD was defective, I returned it. I then went to another place and bought another copy. It too was in black and white. I sent e-mails to Fox asking what was wrong and never received an answer. I strongly recommend that you do not buy the DVD version. Too bad, the movie actually is very good.