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Sometimes lively, sometimes pokey, this Technicolor MGM musical inspiresmixed feelings in aficionados of the form--except on one point. No viewer willquestion why "On the Atchison, Topeka, & the Santa Fe" won the best song Oscarfor 1946. This is a brilliant, inventive song given an epic staging. Director George Sidney pullsout all the stops for this wowser--even Marjorie Main sings, an eardrum-testingsound. The real-life Harvey Girls were waitresses imported to the far-flung FredHarvey Hotels, civilizing oases along the railroad lines out west. The fictionalHarvey Girls is set in Sandrock, where the traveling waitresses arejoined by a sort of mail-order bride (Judy Garland) whose prospective husband isa bust--he's a roughhewn rancher played by Chill Wills. Garland is in finespunky form; unfortunately, her romance is with John Hodiak (as the owner of adance hall), that uninspiring World War II-era lead. The film's other greatJohnny Mercer-Harry Warren song is the unexpectedly melancholy "It's a Great BigWorld," performed in a lovely trio by Garland, Virginia O'Brien, and the youngCyd Charisse. The tall, deadpan O'Brien also does a comic take on "The Wild,Wild West" while shoeing a horse. With kewpie-faced Angela Lansbury as abespangled dance-hall gal and Ray Bolger high-stepping through a dance solo,there are enough good people on board to keep the wheels a-turning "all the wayto Californ-eye-yay." --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (38)

STUNNING! This HARVEY GIRLS DVD is "Metro-GARLAND-Magic"
Hats off to Ted Turner's crew and their partners at Warner Home Video for a simply stunning DVD presentation of THE HARVEY GIRLS. The film looks sumptuous. A thrilling example of Technicolor at its most splendid. Although THE HARVEY GIRLS is a thoroughly delightful entertainment, there isn't much substance to the plot. It seems to hardly matter, as the film's major virtues are its great score by Johnny Mercer and Harry Warren, superb performances from a great cast, and of course, the peerless Judy Garland.

If anyone else had played the lead in this picture, it would have been long forgotten. This is Judy's show, all the way, and everything about it is designed to show off her immense talents.
She is at the top of her form here...looking lovely, singing gorgeously, dancing with aplomb, and handling both dramatic and comedic scenes better than anyone else could ever dream to. The biggest highlight of the film is the mammoth eight-minute production number ON THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA, AND THE SANTA FE which ended up winning a Best Song Oscar. This sequence alone is worth the price of the DVD, and the Warner Home Video people give us an extra bonus by presenting the number separately in TRUE STEREO! Astounding!

The supplementary materials are vast and beautifully assembled. The commentary by recently-deceased director George Sidney was fortunately captured for this release, and his thoughts and reminiscences are entertaining and charming. There were four musical numbers intended for this picture which were cut before release. MARCH OF THE DOAGIES and its reprise and MY INTUITION are the three that were filmed, and they are included on this DVD, looking like they were filmed yesterday (actually they look TOO good to have been filmed in this day and age). The one unused song that was recorded but not filmed called HAYRIDE is among the more than 20 pre-recording sessions included on the DVD's "Sing Song Express". A captivating opportunity to be present on the Metro recording stages as they laid down these historic tracks. You can hear the starts and stops, the banter and laughter...It's almost like being there. The disc also includes a trailer.

Hats off to Warner and Turner for a splendid job well done, a VAST improvement from the once-impressive laserdisc release, which is now unwatchable in comparison to this DVD. Add to this the VERY reasonable price of this movie, and it can't be beat. Now the big question: "When will Warner give us MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, EASTER PARADE and the rest of the golden Garland catalog?" Let's hope it's soon. If this DVD is any indication of what those will be like, we are in for a treat.

Judy at her comedic best!
"The Harvey Girls" is my favorite of the MGM musicals. It has everything: a superb star (Judy Garland), a great supporting cast (headed by a young Angela Lansbury, with Ray Bolger and Marjorie Main), fantastic songs (featuring the Academy Award winning "On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe"), and a funny plot. Susan Bradley (Garland) decides to marry the man she has been writing love letters to, and travels with the Harvey restaurant chain to a town in the Old West to meet him. When she gets there, she realizes the romantic letters were written by his friend, the owner of the town saloon (played by John Hodiak). Susan decides to join the Harvey girls in setting up the new restaurant. When the town leaders try to scare the Harvey girls away because they are taking business from the saloon, Susan must help keep the restaurant in order. Angela Lansbury shines as the villainous saloon girl, as do Marjorie Main as the Harvey House cook, and Ray Bolger as the local blacksmith.

Something for everyone.
Even though the film starred Judy Garland, what I really enjoyed about The Harvey Girls is that it operates as an ensemble musical. That is, it gives features and spotlight numbers to just about everyone in the mammoth cast. This kind of thing is usually done for all-star films or stage musicals only, but back in 1946 MGM's roster of talent was strong, if not yet infamous. Players like hypnotic deadpanner Virginia O'Brien and dancer Cyd Charisse were fairly new back then, but this film gives them individual spotlights: not only do they both sing with Garland in the nighttime ballad "It's A Great Big World," but O'Brien gets to sing "The Wild, Wild West" (with comic blacksmith Ray Bolger looking on) and Charisse gets to display her ballet dancing opposite Kenny Baker's ballad "Wait And See." Marjorie Main sings bits of "The Waltz" and "The Train Must Be Fed;" Angela Lansbury is featured in *two* saloon numbers, and Ray Bolger gets to do some of his rubber-legged dancing at the Harvey House party. And, of course, it seems like everyone on the planet is assembled for the big, eight minute production number "On The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe." There's literally something for everyone- even the oil-and-water romance (if you like that sort of thing) between Garland and John Hodiak.

Bravo! Bravo!
This is definetly one of Judy Garland's best movies. I think the songs are great,and Judy is so funny when she holds up the bar across the street just to please her customers. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you have to see the movie to understand. I also loved the casting. Angela Lansbury was wonderful and the "villian". And for anybody who's a Judy Garland fan, you must see this!

That Garland Magic!
To those people who are new to a Judy Garland musical, excluding those who have seen OZ. I highly recommend mandatory Judy Garland Musical watching. No one in this life, past or present can ever compare to this stunning singer and actress as she was and still is the greatest musical star ever. Streisand attempted to take her place in the late 60's but lets be honest. No one ever could. Judy is in a category all her own. The Harvey Girls is just another example of her brilliance as entertainer. Watch "One Take Judy" as George Sidney affectionately calls her as he remembers in the audio commentary of her delivering one of her most memorable performances in one take, yes one take of Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe. She generally recorded her songs in one take and could watch a stand in doing the movements before camera and step in and do it exactly in one take. Amazing. This film is one of those examples of that talent. The songs in the movie are all very well crafted with stunning results like the opening song, "In the Valley where the evening sun goes down" and It's a great big world". Virginia O'Brien adds some sass, which we miss later in the film after she has exited due to pregnancy. I always wondered why her character disappears without a word and this audio commentary explains all. Angela Lansbury is interesting to watch being that she was all of 18 years old and plays a worldly older woman to Judy's character and does it excellently. Its interesting hearing her do an American accent so well. She never looked more beautiful than in this film. Glorious Technicolor is very well utilized in this film. The restoration work that went into this film is amazing. It is crystal clear and the colors, oh the colors! For anyone who has never seen this film I recommend it greatly. They just don't make it like this any more. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Very entertaining and funny!
This movie is very heart-warming, funny, and enjoyable. It's perfect for the whole family. People of all ages will enjoy this entertaining movie. Don Knotts is the perfect coach. He's hilarious, as always. It's up to Gus the Mule to pull his team out of a long losing streak. Also look for Ed Asner, Dick Van Patten, Harold Gould, Dick Butkus, and Bob Crane, who is Pepper, the know-it-all sportscaster. A good Disney movie. Rent or buy this movie soon. The mule Gus is cute too!

GUS
No widescreen = no sale. C'mon Disney, get with the program!

Don Knotts and Tim Conway are the BEST!
How could you not like this movie haveing Don Knotts and Tim Conway in it? They are to funny and I love all there movies! Gus is a cute movie for the whole family. Its hard for me to find movies that the whole family can enjoy together. But this one is a good one, five stars!=)
Enjoy!

Silly Slapstick Fun for the Young and Young at Heart
The California Atoms need a miracle. They've been in last place for so long that they have very few fans in the stadium for football games. In a desperate attempt to build attendance, the owner, Mr. Cooper, flies over Gus, a mule from Yugoslavia that kicks field goals. Soon, the mule and his owner Andy are being used to score points in the games. In an attempt to keep the team, Mr. Cooper makes a bet with his creditor that if the team wins the Super Bowl, he can keep the team. But the creditor won't make it easy. As the season progresses, the stakes get higher and the laughs get louder.

Sure, this is a completely unrealistic movie. And you can probably guess every single plot point long before it happens. But this is another case of having so much fun getting there that you really don't care. I watched this movie many times as a kid, but hadn't watched it for years until recently. I was laughing right from the start, and the final scene made me laugh just as hard as it always did. I do wonder how some of the big name cast (like Tom Bosley and Ed Asner) got talked into this movie, but they do a great job and it's great fun as a result.

The DVD, on the other hand, could have been better. Even though the package doesn't admit to it, this film was obviously originally widescreen, and the cut made for this DVD is bad. Usually I don't notice too much of a difference, but here people were often half on the screen and it was obvious we were missing bits of the action because of the edit. The picture quality could have also used a little sprucing up, with grain showing up on a fairly regular basis. It's noticeable, but not enough to truly detract from the film.

If you're in the mood to laugh, this is the film for you. If you already have the VHS, there's no reason to rush out to upgrade. If you don't already own it, the DVD is a fine additional to any movie collection. Unfortunately, this is probably the best we'll ever get for this film.

no widescreen!
Come on Disney, how do you take such a great movie and dump it like a piece of Junk. The lack of widescreen or quality sound is really sad for a company that makes more money than any other at re-releasing it's old material.
Also no extras? Not even some outakes, gallery stuff, theatrical trailers, cartoons. I refuse to buy any of the new disney DVD if they are not in widescreen, and tons of people I know from disney clubs and message boards feel the same way. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

This is one of my favorite Kathryn Grayson movies
I love this movie. Most people only watch it because of all the MGM stars in it. i personally think this is the most boring part of the picture. I enjoy the romance between Gene Kelly and Kathryn Grayson much more than the songs, dances, and comedy scetches of the stars. The only thing I think is wrong with this movie is that Kathyrn Gryason only sings three songs which is hardly displaying her talent (although the songs are pretty good), and Gene Kelly only dances once. I'd like to say to anybody thinking of seeing this movie: go for it. It's wonderful!

Thousands cheer--when it's finally over!
With a cast like this, I thought how they go wrong? Well, they managed! This movie goes on forever, with a plot that's predictable from the first few minutes, yet keeps dragging on and on. The only relief is Gene Kelly's dance routine with a mop, but otherwise there's little that's even musical about it. Be prepared to fast forward to the real entertainment, which is about an hour and half into the movie. During a "show for the soldiers," the film makers bring on a huge cast of stars who all have brief songs or scenes. Lena Horne is beautiful as always singing "Honeysuckle Rose," Red Skelton does a pretty funny skit, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Lucille Ball, Gloria de Haven, and June Allyson are all right, and Virginia O'Brian is wonderful. Unfortunately, except for these few numbers near the end, it's not worth watching, even for major Gene Kelly fans.

A cavalcade of MGM stars
MGM redefines the big-screen musical extravaganza in this 1943 roll-out of MGM stars... Gene Kelly and Katheryn Grayson, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, Red Skelton and Margaret O'Brien, plus Lucille Ball, Donna Reed, Ann Southern, Lena Horne, Frank (Oz) Morgan, Mary Astor, June Allyson, and John Boles and Ish Kabibble with Kay Kyser's big band. (At the time bigger than Benny Goodman, Glen Miller, Or Tommy Dorsey.)

Filled with great period jive and swing numbers, Thousands Cheer capsules everything dear to a 40's teenager. On the brink of World War II this movie was a morale-lifter for our boys. The finale used the largest sound-stage in MGM history. Call it a 'don't miss,' call it a 'must-have,' and give it thumbs up and five stars.

For die-hard Kelly fans only
Despite the stars in the cast, this is ultimately disappointing. Granted, one doesn't usually watch this kind of all-star musical for the plot, but even so, this is especially weak on characterization and narrative drive. The stars are all concentrated in the last half-hour, and some of them are fun to see; actually, the best bit is Mickey Rooney doing impressions of Clark Gable and Lionel Barrymore (and his Barrymore is dead on!). Getting to the end, however, is tedious. The wartime romance angle is routine, spiced up only by some probably unintended Oedipal tension between the girl (Kathryn Grayson) and her father. Gene Kelly is energetic, charming, and sexy in one of his earliest roles, and he's about the only reason to watch this movie.

Stars Galore!
There are so many stars in this movie and is one of the greatest collaberation of stars ever assembled in one movie and at the end of the movie there is a special treat and is a must have! The stars that do what they do best include: Gene Kelly, Kathryn Grayson, Mary Astor, Judy Garland, Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell, Ann Sothern, Lena Horne, Margaret O' Brian, Marilyn Maxwell, Marsha Hunt, June Allyson, Gloria De Haven, Frank Morgan, Virginia O'Brien, Lucille Ball, Donna Reed, and Mickey Rooney. Can I say more? Simply the greatest stars assembled in one movie! ... Read more