Reviews (15)

NOT "modified to fit your screen." DVD is OAR
The movie is a solid 50s western--decent entertainment but not high art like, say, High Noon. It's true star is Mt. Hood, Oregon, shown sparkling in every other shot.

Despite the disclaimer at the beginning of the DVD, this film was NOT "modified to fit your screen." It was shot in 1952, when most films were "full frame," and well before widescreen became standard. In fact the Technicolor process used here never made the transition to widescreen, and that's why the full-frame presentation is correct. (The same is true for Shane, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and the Wizard of Oz.) You'd think the studios would not insert the bogus disclaimer, since it's a dumb mistake that can cost them sales, but this error is actually pretty common on DVD packaging.

The DVD transfer is from a clean source that looks and sounds great. Unlike many later color films, the color is vivid and unfaded. Some scenes do show registration problems, but that's hard to avoid with Technicolor materials (fixing it is $$$$$).

Summary: a potboiler western with pretty pictures at a budget price.

Pioneers struggle to survive in the great Northwest
This western is a film of great visual beauty that has a great cast headed by James Stewart whose task is to guide a wagon train of pioneers through the Northwest Territory to their new settlement in Oregon. Stewart's Glyn McLyntock has a troubled past but also a conscience and a sense of fair play and justice that saves a gunslinger from a hanging. The ungrateful Emerson Cole repays McLyntock with treachery and gun-play and gets involved in swindling the settlers out of their needed winter supplies that have been seized by an unscrupulous owner of a steamboat and saloon. The rugged terrain of the Oregon countryside and dangerous river rapids lend realism to this story, and there is an interesting sub-plot that has McLyntock and Cole fighting Shoshone warriors at night. Julia Adams is pleasing to the eye as a pioneer girl and old hand Jay C. Flippen is a straight shooter who knows a bad apple when he sees one. The rough and tumble action has shoot-outs between the settlers and gold-crazed miners and hired double-crossers who aim to steal the supplies and sell them at a profit. Rock Hudson is a gambler who's handy with a six-gun.

No complaints from me!

It seems that many are complaining about the DVD version. I saw the VHF, and concentrated on the story rather than screen flaws, and so like other Stewart films, I was delighted and entertained.

This is a 1950s movie, when Stewart was in his hay day, and the story (screenwriter Borden Chase wrote the screenplay from his own novel) was a superlative story of the Oregon country, including scenery around Mt. Hood and the Columbia River.

This is one of the series of eight films directed by Anthony Mann and starring the late Brig. General James Stewart, USAF, in his youth.

Rock Hudson played a youthful gambler from California, and Arthur Kennedy a former Kansas border raider and the leading bad guy, after acting as a Stewart supporter. Stewart was also a former border raider from Missouri who was trying to forget his past. Supporting players included a youthful Harry Morgan and some other rowdies I didn't immediately recognize.

This is one of the old-time "straight" Westerns that I grew up loving, with plenty of gun play, with good and bad guys easily recognized (but not necessarily by their hat color).

If you are a fan of those old-time Westerns, you'll probably love this one, which was filmed in Technicolor.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

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

One Of The Best Westerns
Jimmy Stewart is a great actor.This is a great western with plenty of action.i like westerns of the 1950,s and 1960.s

This is a decent western but it's not great.
I would say it's good or about average. There is some good scenery and it isn't slow. It just doesn't have a lot of punch as far as I'm concerned. ... Read more

Description

America's favorite country couple are back together again in a brand new collection featuring four of their all-time favorite films. Ma & Pa Kettle (Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride) continue to charm audiences with their down-home humor and hilarious antics, inspiring in The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle: Volume 2, featuring Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair, Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation, Ma and Pa Kettle at Home, Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki. Join the Kettles this time as they travel the globe, getting involved in everything from international spies and pineapple plantations to harness racing and hurricanes in this delightful special collector's set. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Original aspect ratios?
As with the first three movies in this series, the four in this set are a mixed bag in the humor department.

They are nicely transfered by Universal, however, with one exception.....according to the imdb.com database, "Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki", made in 1955, had an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. WHY, OH WHY, would Universal release a "Franchise Collection" in other than the OAR????????

This seems to be a bad marketing trend by many of the movie companies when it comes to family oriented movies (i.e., "The Trouble With Angels" and "Where Angels Go Trouble Follows"). Let's hope the movie companies soon realize that the viewers of these older movies are mostly adults who want their movies all in one piece. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Flawed technical job, but a reasonable price
As a tiny tot I vaguely remember being mesmerized by this colorful children's production. Today I am able to see how contrived and staged a production it was. Nonetheless, it is a classic of the period.

If you are spoiled by some of the beautiful sight and sound restorations of old films available on DVD today, this one will leave you disappointed. On the DVD I purchased, both the film and soundtrack are filled with artifacts. During one production sequence called "Prestige" film frames are dropped and the sound is severely truncated, even going out of synch in one section. This may be the only source print available, however.

The DVD is also flawed by poor DVD authoring. The menu index does not correctly correspond to the film's content. In fact, the true Chapter I of the authoring is not accessible via the DVD menu at all on my copy. This is poor technical work and totally avoidable.

But, it is not an expensive issue and it does provide an opportunity to see some classic performances by Claude Rains, Van Johnson, and Jim Backus. The film includes a wonderful guest performance by Kay Starr.

This is a piece I'd like to see a fine team of restoration experts tackle. But for less than 10 bucks it isn't a bad deal. It's no worse than watching old film prints on Sunday afternoon local affiliate TV stations.

'Pied Piper is a treat for all ages!'
This Alpha Video DVD of 'The Pied Piper Of Hamelin' is the best source print of this film I have ever seen.
'Pied Piper Of Hamelin' (1953) is a family treat for all ages and for all holidays. First filmed in color as a Hallmark TV special, it is a masterful, musical re-telling of the fairy tale using the beautiful mysterious, music of Edward Grieg with new lyrics.
The cast is first-rate, with movie great Van Johnson brilliantly playing the strange and often frightening piper, as well as the kind school teacher Trueson, who is also the village concience. Legendary movie villain Claude Rains is absolutely wonderful as the clever, sneering, corrupt lord mayor of Hamelin. Rains has a ball playing him like Prince John of 'Adventures Of Robin Hood' (1937) in retirement! He even does a comical, show-stopping song and dance! Jim Backus also appears as the King's messenger, and his comedy is badly needed as this fairy tale goes dark in it's second half.
One highlight of the film, is Van Johnson as the Pied Piper, leading the rats out of Hamelin to their deaths in the river. He is playing on his pipe the haunting 'In The Hall Of The Mountain King' from Grieg's 'Peter Guint Suite', as the cleverly animated rats march to oblivion!
Unlike the fairy tale, this 'Pied Piper Of Hamelin' has a happy ending with a lesson for everyone about greed, selfishness, and false pride. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Lori Nelson Stars in the movie
If you enjoyed the 1950's syndicated "How To Marry A Millionaire" starring Barbara Eden,Merry Anders and Lori Nelson then you may enjoy this movie with Lori Nelson a year before the "How To Marry A Millionaire" show began.

BORING, BORING, BORING
Do yourself a favor and don't waste the few dollars it costs for this piece of crap. I am about as liberal as it comes to bad movies, as a matter of fact, I cherish bad movies as long as I'm not bored. Usually, the cheesier, the better. This one is boring, and doesn't have anything to do with any girl as far as I remember. It sucks, and the transfer is AWFUL!!!!!!!

50's cheese to a T
Very surprised by this one, it was great. The scripting moved quickly from one cheesy scene and line to the next. Some pretty funny characters and dialogue. One of the best [amt.] dvd deals.

Sooooooooooo dull.
Even wonderful B-Queen Lori Nelson (Day the World Ended, Revenge of the Creature) couldn't save this film. Even the price couldn't save it. Even an acquired nostalgia for a time I did not experience couldn't save it. Because there was nothing to save.

There is not enough offbeat campiness or histrionic overacting to make it mindless fun like some other juvenile delinquent pictures of the 50's. The kids aren't even delinquents; they just enjoy drag racing at 20 mph on suspiciously wide roads in an unnamed California town. When they really want to be antisocial they listen to a jukebox and sip malts. I don't want trash, but there's no real peril or conflict that seems like any big deal to me. It brings to mind Blackboard Jungle (overall a good film, BTW), but with even less menace. It's just too dated in that regard.

Anyway, a guy's brother is killed in one such race, and he swears off drag racing. Will he be able to resist the goading stranger clad in black leather? Will innocents be harmed by the wanton disregard of speed-crazed thrill kids? Will Chuck Connors relax his jaw muscles? No. Yes. No.

Need I continue? I will, all the same. The bad guy eventually gets caught and punished for a tragically reckless act and blatant cover-up. You can rest easy now.

Maybe this is what the 50's were really like. Pleasant enough, but nicey-nice to the point of comatose. If so, give me the souped-up brassy fictional Corman-ized view. Or Teenagers From Space. Or American Graffiti. Or Back To The Future. Heck, even Happy Days had the Fonz and a laff track. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A date-movie masquerading as an Indian uprising flick, has Scott Brady as a frontier painter with a penchant for models, trying to forestall war with the Iroquois.The plot follows the conventional line, with the frontiersmen (and women) besieged in their fort, driven back into their hovels, then saved at the last moment by the cavalry.But the focus is not on the story line, and clearly on the bustline, as various fine babes vie for the attentions of Brady, including a squaw played by Rita Gam.One scene depicts what appears to be an Iroquois version of a wet T-shirt contest, with Gam the clear winner.On the DVD you'll find optional Japanese subtitles, lengthy notes on the cast and crew, and what appears to be a fairly unfaded print of the film with vivid colors. --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (3)

STCOK SHOTS ALONG THE MOHAWK
As Ron Wood mentionned in it's review, most action sequences in MOHAWK comme from John Ford's DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK. This 1939 film provided stock shots for many other movies. In 1944, one shot of Mohawk warriors setting Fonda's place afire in DRUMS was used in BUFFALO BILL. Battle scenes around the fort were then used in MOHAWK. Almost the same scenes were used again in the pilot episode of the DANIEL BOONE TV series starring Fess Parker in the mid-60s.

As far as stock shots are concerned, BUFFALO BILL seems to be the absolute winner, at least in the western genre. Stock shots of the battle scene (War Bonnet Creek) were used by Fox in numerous productions. PONY SOLDIER with Tyrone Power (begining of the movie). SIEGE AT FEATHER RIVER (end of the movie, which was produced by Panoramic which provided FOX with B pictures). THE TIME TUNNEL TV series (Episode : Little Big Horn) also used the battle to pass as Custer's famous last stand.
Another depiction of that battle, from THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON starring Errol Flynn, was used in BUGLES IN THE AFTERNOON starring Ray Milland. Though THEY DIED was black and white, and BUGLES Technicolor, the stock shot did fit because it was being watch through binoculars by Ray Milland and modified from black and white to sepia.

If anyone knows of other stock shots in westerns, I'd be glad to read about that.

Mohawk
This is a rather interesting movie in that it uses a lot of distant scenic and action shots from John Ford's Drums Along The Mohawk. This is most noticeable, because all of a sudden while viewing the film, the production values are suddenly increased and the cinematography becomes almost ravishing instead of run of the mill that the "new" portions of the film just can't match.
As an aside, I remember seeing Drums Along The Mohawk twice when I was a kid in the 1940s in a small town where I grew up and it was in black and white; only when I saw it on VHS in the 1980s did I see the true Technicolor format. And then I was knocked out again when I saw portions of it appear in Mohawk, a film I missed at the theatres and only caught on DVD about a year ago.

Does anyone know of any other films that utilized parts of older films as part of their format to save on production costs? I'd like to hear from anyone on this. I know this happens, especially in World War II films with documentary battle footage, but haven't noticed the use of regular production footage in newer movies, unless they referred to the earlier film as a link in a series.

Early American artist finds romance trying to keep peace.
Scott Brady and Rita Gam are not especially believable as a colonial era artist and his native American love interest, but the unusual time period, and energy of the production make "Mowhawk" fun. Evil white men try to incite the Indians to war, while the high-integrity artist works to maintain peace as he does portraits of various characters. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Lori Nelson Stars in the movie
If you enjoyed the 1950's syndicated "How To Marry A Millionaire" starring Barbara Eden,Merry Anders and Lori Nelson then you may enjoy this movie with Lori Nelson a year before the "How To Marry A Millionaire" show began.

BORING, BORING, BORING
Do yourself a favor and don't waste the few dollars it costs for this piece of crap. I am about as liberal as it comes to bad movies, as a matter of fact, I cherish bad movies as long as I'm not bored. Usually, the cheesier, the better. This one is boring, and doesn't have anything to do with any girl as far as I remember. It sucks, and the transfer is AWFUL!!!!!!!

50's cheese to a T
Very surprised by this one, it was great. The scripting moved quickly from one cheesy scene and line to the next. Some pretty funny characters and dialogue. One of the best [amt.] dvd deals.

Sooooooooooo dull.
Even wonderful B-Queen Lori Nelson (Day the World Ended, Revenge of the Creature) couldn't save this film. Even the price couldn't save it. Even an acquired nostalgia for a time I did not experience couldn't save it. Because there was nothing to save.

There is not enough offbeat campiness or histrionic overacting to make it mindless fun like some other juvenile delinquent pictures of the 50's. The kids aren't even delinquents; they just enjoy drag racing at 20 mph on suspiciously wide roads in an unnamed California town. When they really want to be antisocial they listen to a jukebox and sip malts. I don't want trash, but there's no real peril or conflict that seems like any big deal to me. It brings to mind Blackboard Jungle (overall a good film, BTW), but with even less menace. It's just too dated in that regard.

Anyway, a guy's brother is killed in one such race, and he swears off drag racing. Will he be able to resist the goading stranger clad in black leather? Will innocents be harmed by the wanton disregard of speed-crazed thrill kids? Will Chuck Connors relax his jaw muscles? No. Yes. No.

Need I continue? I will, all the same. The bad guy eventually gets caught and punished for a tragically reckless act and blatant cover-up. You can rest easy now.

Maybe this is what the 50's were really like. Pleasant enough, but nicey-nice to the point of comatose. If so, give me the souped-up brassy fictional Corman-ized view. Or Teenagers From Space. Or American Graffiti. Or Back To The Future. Heck, even Happy Days had the Fonz and a laff track. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

One star is too kind for this tripe!
The basic premise behind this drivel is simple. Kid's Mom has died, has new Step-mom, makes friends with gorilla, gorilla gets shot, gorilla gets better, everything works out just fine.
Except that is, for the film itself. Fan's of this genre of film would do better to avoid this and go for the far superior "Born to be Wild".
Even Malcolm in the Middle's Justin Berfield (Reece), who is usually pretty good, can't hold this dreadful film together.
He manages to pull off a couple of nice emotive scenes, but that's about it.
The gorilla is about as convincing as a trash can in a dress, the music is lousy, the direction is tired and dull, and the less said about the script the better. Not even worth catching on TV.

Innocent Humor What the world needs!
What ever happened to good movies like this? Justin Berfield age 12 is followed home by a 500lb gorilla, So what does any 12 year old do? Mom Can I Keep Her? You will Love this and Remember that time passes too fast not to spend more Quality Time with your Children!

A Masterpiece
No words can describe this film! I laughed, I cried, I farted. OH! That poor boy who has to take care of gorilla. Then it dies! It makes me cry now, because I know that that boy will never be the same again! I only wish it had lived and he had it until he got old and his bones were so weak so when it jumped on him his guts flew out of his stomach.

LMAO/AWWW
friend bought this movie cuz of justin. we watched it, it was incredibly sad/cute/lame. whenever we saw justin crying or whatever it was like awwwww but then they showed the gorilla and we laughed cuz it looks soooo fake! AT THE END THE GORILLAS ON A STRETCHER! ITS SO FUNNY! but its so sad justin cries a lot cuz his moms dead and he has to move on...and ya :( but overall, i liked this movie

Justin Berfield is da bomb!
Justin Berfield is so Hott! This is about a boy who just wants a pet, mom, let him keep her! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

STCOK SHOTS ALONG THE MOHAWK
As Ron Wood mentionned in it's review, most action sequences in MOHAWK comme from John Ford's DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK. This 1939 film provided stock shots for many other movies. In 1944, one shot of Mohawk warriors setting Fonda's place afire in DRUMS was used in BUFFALO BILL. Battle scenes around the fort were then used in MOHAWK. Almost the same scenes were used again in the pilot episode of the DANIEL BOONE TV series starring Fess Parker in the mid-60s.

As far as stock shots are concerned, BUFFALO BILL seems to be the absolute winner, at least in the western genre. Stock shots of the battle scene (War Bonnet Creek) were used by Fox in numerous productions. PONY SOLDIER with Tyrone Power (begining of the movie). SIEGE AT FEATHER RIVER (end of the movie, which was produced by Panoramic which provided FOX with B pictures). THE TIME TUNNEL TV series (Episode : Little Big Horn) also used the battle to pass as Custer's famous last stand.
Another depiction of that battle, from THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON starring Errol Flynn, was used in BUGLES IN THE AFTERNOON starring Ray Milland. Though THEY DIED was black and white, and BUGLES Technicolor, the stock shot did fit because it was being watch through binoculars by Ray Milland and modified from black and white to sepia.

If anyone knows of other stock shots in westerns, I'd be glad to read about that.

Mohawk
This is a rather interesting movie in that it uses a lot of distant scenic and action shots from John Ford's Drums Along The Mohawk. This is most noticeable, because all of a sudden while viewing the film, the production values are suddenly increased and the cinematography becomes almost ravishing instead of run of the mill that the "new" portions of the film just can't match.
As an aside, I remember seeing Drums Along The Mohawk twice when I was a kid in the 1940s in a small town where I grew up and it was in black and white; only when I saw it on VHS in the 1980s did I see the true Technicolor format. And then I was knocked out again when I saw portions of it appear in Mohawk, a film I missed at the theatres and only caught on DVD about a year ago.

Does anyone know of any other films that utilized parts of older films as part of their format to save on production costs? I'd like to hear from anyone on this. I know this happens, especially in World War II films with documentary battle footage, but haven't noticed the use of regular production footage in newer movies, unless they referred to the earlier film as a link in a series.

Early American artist finds romance trying to keep peace.
Scott Brady and Rita Gam are not especially believable as a colonial era artist and his native American love interest, but the unusual time period, and energy of the production make "Mowhawk" fun. Evil white men try to incite the Indians to war, while the high-integrity artist works to maintain peace as he does portraits of various characters. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

STCOK SHOTS ALONG THE MOHAWK
As Ron Wood mentionned in it's review, most action sequences in MOHAWK comme from John Ford's DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK. This 1939 film provided stock shots for many other movies. In 1944, one shot of Mohawk warriors setting Fonda's place afire in DRUMS was used in BUFFALO BILL. Battle scenes around the fort were then used in MOHAWK. Almost the same scenes were used again in the pilot episode of the DANIEL BOONE TV series starring Fess Parker in the mid-60s.

As far as stock shots are concerned, BUFFALO BILL seems to be the absolute winner, at least in the western genre. Stock shots of the battle scene (War Bonnet Creek) were used by Fox in numerous productions. PONY SOLDIER with Tyrone Power (begining of the movie). SIEGE AT FEATHER RIVER (end of the movie, which was produced by Panoramic which provided FOX with B pictures). THE TIME TUNNEL TV series (Episode : Little Big Horn) also used the battle to pass as Custer's famous last stand.
Another depiction of that battle, from THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON starring Errol Flynn, was used in BUGLES IN THE AFTERNOON starring Ray Milland. Though THEY DIED was black and white, and BUGLES Technicolor, the stock shot did fit because it was being watch through binoculars by Ray Milland and modified from black and white to sepia.

If anyone knows of other stock shots in westerns, I'd be glad to read about that.

Mohawk
This is a rather interesting movie in that it uses a lot of distant scenic and action shots from John Ford's Drums Along The Mohawk. This is most noticeable, because all of a sudden while viewing the film, the production values are suddenly increased and the cinematography becomes almost ravishing instead of run of the mill that the "new" portions of the film just can't match.
As an aside, I remember seeing Drums Along The Mohawk twice when I was a kid in the 1940s in a small town where I grew up and it was in black and white; only when I saw it on VHS in the 1980s did I see the true Technicolor format. And then I was knocked out again when I saw portions of it appear in Mohawk, a film I missed at the theatres and only caught on DVD about a year ago.

Does anyone know of any other films that utilized parts of older films as part of their format to save on production costs? I'd like to hear from anyone on this. I know this happens, especially in World War II films with documentary battle footage, but haven't noticed the use of regular production footage in newer movies, unless they referred to the earlier film as a link in a series.

Early American artist finds romance trying to keep peace.
Scott Brady and Rita Gam are not especially believable as a colonial era artist and his native American love interest, but the unusual time period, and energy of the production make "Mowhawk" fun. Evil white men try to incite the Indians to war, while the high-integrity artist works to maintain peace as he does portraits of various characters. ... Read more