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- First reviewMarch 30, 2019
- Last reviewApril 11, 2021
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internech's Reviews
![It's a Wonderful Life [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray] [1946]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/c481fde4-6865-4ff2-9da7-77a8bccc15b4.jpg)
Customer Rating
5
It's a Wonderful Film. Yes, Worth the Hype
on April 11, 2021
Posted by: internech
Verified Purchase:Yes
So much has been said extolling what some consider Director Frank Capra's best movie, that I will try to make some valid points.
First, the film had a modest opening at the end of 1946, not really making a splash at the box office. For years, the only showings were (I assume) at film festivals and prior to video and DVD/laserdisc releases, late at night during Christmas season on commercial TV. The movie was uncut, but you had to sit through ads for everything under the sun to see Jimmy Stewart grow up, live, love, save his town and emerge a hero.
I believe one of the reasons the film didn't find an audience originally was that it was not really a Christmas movie, and had a dark underbelly during the scenes of the town's alternative life without George Bailey. People may not have been ready for a movie that wasn't all feel good or melodrama.
Fast forward to the early 1980s. Cable TV and videos make the movie available to a wider public. The picture become much- watched and loved.
This special two-disc version has the original black-and-white version in blu-ray, and a colorized version. In either case, enjoy a splendid cast that includes Thomas Mitchell, Beulah Bondi, Ward Bond, Gloria Grahame, Sheldon Leonard, and even Ellen Corby in a small role. Trivia note: Look for Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer as the boy who opens up the swimming pool after George steals Mary away from him.
There's also Charles Lane, who was a supporting character in literally hundreds of movies and TV shows. He shows up in every Capra movie and was most prominent as a semi-regular in one of the later Lucy revivals and as Homer Bedloe on Petticoat Junction.
Buy it, stream it, or watch it on television, but catch "It's a Wonderful Life" to see Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed in roles that should have won them Oscars.
Length of ownership: 156
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![Brute Force [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray] [1947]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/7cd7e3a2-83a0-4f63-aa53-e902a928f400.jpg)
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5
Brute, Burt and Criterion Present a Noir Classic
on April 11, 2021
Posted by: internech
Verified Purchase:Yes
Put Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn, and director Jules Dassin in a prison noir drama, and you've got a classic.
Lancaster played rough, tough roles, usually men with some sympathy underlying their dark sides. Here, he is a convict pitting himself against a sadistic prison guard, Hume Cronyn, playing against type. The film wastes no time, going from a tense beginning to a riveting finish in 98 minutes.
It's in black-and-white and doesn't show blood or special effects, but for those who can appreciate movies that told a story and showed characterization, this is one of the best prison dramas, ranking along side "I Am a Fugitive on a Chain Gang" and "Cool Hand Luke," in its portrayal of desperate men behind bars.
Criterion does its usual excellent job with a 4k blu-ray restoration, which has commentary and other special features. Yes, it has subtitles, which I find particularly helpful to make sure I get all the dialogue. There's more, but see for yourself.
Length of ownership: 26
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![Forbidden Hollywood Collection: Volume Three [4 Discs]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/733262c7-5202-4c93-86ad-3b35f24d9d49.jpg)
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5
Six Daring Films Directed by Wild Bill Wellman
on April 11, 2021
Posted by: internech
Verified Purchase:Yes
This "Forbidden Hollywood" collection has two documentaries about William Wellman (Wild Bill), who directed such movies classics as "Wings" and "Public Enemy," the movie that made James Cagney a star and has a ending that still shocks 90 years after its first release.
You won't find either of those films on this collection, but Cagney has a small role in "Other Men's Women," which also has Mary Astor and Joan Blondell. Bill Wellman directed this flick, as well as the other five Depression rarities shown uncut on three DVDs.
These Warner Brothers movies were made in the early 30s, reflecting hard times during the Great Depression as well as the then-daring themes of adultery and prostitution. They are pre-code films, made before the Hayes code would ban or censor Hollywood movie that didn't meet so-called standards of decency.
My favorites on this collection are on disc Three, which has "Heroes for Sale" and "Wild Boys of the Road." I saw the latter at the Museum of Modern Art, one of the few venues for a 1933 film about children who become hoboes in order to spare their parents the extra burden of more mouths to feed.
Frankie Darro stars as one of the eponymous kids searching for a job and a better life. Darro was seen by some as being the next Mickey Rooney, but mostly did "B" pictures and was inside Robbie the Robot in "Forbidden Planet" more than 30 years later. One other trivia note is that the female lead married Bill Wellman.
"Heroes for Sale" deals with the Forgotten Men, veterans of WWI. Warner Brothers had a forgotten man song that closed "Gold Diggers of 1933," but "Heroes" centered around survivors of the global conflict that sandwiched the Roaring Twenties, the Depression, and World War II.
Some of the great actors of the Golden Age of Hollywood star or are featured in the remaining three titles, including "Barbara Stanwyck, Loretta Young, Franchot Tone, as well as Una Merkel, Andy Devine, and Lyle Talbot, who would have the dubious distinction of being in Ed Woods' notorious "Plan 9 From Outer Space" before settling into a comfortable niche on TV in "Ozzie and Harriet."
As mentioned in the first paragraph, you get two documentaries about Bill Wellman, one made for the early 1970s series, "The Men Who Made the Movies. Wellman was still alive and feisty, so you see and hear him talking about his life and times while he made movies both memorable and forgettable. Worth the price of the collection alone.
Length of ownership: 26
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![Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Vol. 1 [Blu-ray]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/0bac5fb3-97cd-495a-8380-9c0133866e2c.jpg)
Customer Rating
5
Tex-ellent Cartoons on Blu Ray!
on March 27, 2020
Posted by: internech
Verified Purchase:Yes
Tex Avery directed some of the best cartoons of the 1940s and 1950s. Although his earliest work at Warner Brothers shouldn't be overlooked (he helped develop Bugs Bunny), Avery's MGM stuff deservedly earns the name "Screwball Classics."
This beautifully restored blu ray collection offers a variety of Avery madness, including his four Screwy Squirrel episodes, a number of Droopy toons, and some one-shot zanies. Arguably, his best creations were "The Girl" and "The Wolf," who first appeared in "Red Hot Riding Hood" (on this disc) and again in various forms, although the premise is the same. The Girl is a sexy singer/dancer in the Betty Grable mode. The Wolf reacts to the Girl's performance with insanely lascivious responses that get wackier with each gag and in each subsequent cartoon.
These cartoons originally appeared in movie theaters for audiences of all ages, but the wolf's bulging eyes and tongue as long as a fire hose had a Freudian subtext that older viewers would understand.
Some of the topical humor requires an understanding of World War II rationing and shortages, such as the Wolf offering the Girl, "diamonds, furs and a set of new whitewall tires." A disclaimer at the beginning of the cartoons warns that the un-PC gags of the time included racial and sexist stereotypes.
Still, despite the dated aspects of some of Avery's cartoons, he was way ahead of his time and may have influenced the artists of the early MAD comics, underground cartoonists, and modern classics such as "Roger Rabbit."
Who else but Avery would have the characters run so fast that they literally jumped out of the film's frame? Who else but Avery would start a cartoon and then have a character complain about the lack of opening credits? Who else but Avery would open a cartoon that resembles the cutest Walt Disney short, only to have the obnoxious, sniffling Screwy Squirrel beat up the adorable bunny (off camera) while taps lays in the background?
This collection only scratches the surface of the Tex Avery experience. Hopefully, there will be future volumes with "The Cat That Hated People": "King Sized Canary"; "Rural Riding Hood"; and dozens of others. We can use the laughs today.
Length of ownership: 8
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![Who Framed Roger Rabbit [25th Anniversary Edition] [2 Discs] [Blu-ray/DVD] [1988]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/7d178c5c-223b-47d2-984f-372025de2e45.jpg)
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5
Roger is the funniest rabbit since Bugs!
on October 10, 2019
Posted by: internech
Verified Purchase:Yes
The 25th anniversary edition of Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a two-disc blu-ray/dvd combo with different features on each.
The blu-ray disc has a commentary that explains in detail the challenge in making this movie syncing animation and live action with a story line that was more than just a funny exercise. Steven Spielberg insisted that a strong plot with urgency had to drive the film, and the writers found a real incident that also meant life or death to the toons, as the cartoon characters in Roger Rabbit are called. The director, Robert Zemeckis, had two financial flops before he did RR, so this $70 million live-action cartoon might have sunk his Hollywood career for good, had it failed. Happily, it was a box-office smash and still holds up 25 years later.
Roger Rabbit is the first cartoon noir film, combining a murder mystery that involves animated characters, human beings, and a well-blended mix of humor and pathos. The late, great Bob Hoskins really made this movie work, playing alcoholic detective Eddie Valiant, whose partnership with his brother ended tragically when a toon dropped a piano on his brother's head.
Other cast members include Stubby Kaye, Joanna Moore, Christopher Lloyd, and the voices of Charlie Fleischer as Roger, Kathleen Turner as Jessica, and the iconic Mel Blanc doing some of his classic characters. Mae Questal does the voice of Betty Boop, which she made famous in the 1930s, and June Foray also adds another role to her literally hundreds of audio achievements. (She was most memorable as Rocky the Flying Squirrel.)
After you see the movie, watch it again with the commentary. Numerous plot changes occurred during the production; you can watch a cut clip of Bob Hoskins with a cartoon pig head.
Don't skip seeing the dvd, devoid of commentary but containing pop-ups on the side of the screen, acting as footnotes to elaborate on dialogue. For example, a producer asks Bob Hoskins what he knows about show business. Hoskins replies, "Only that it's like no business I know." The pop-up explains the reference to the hit show tune, "There's No Business Like Show Business."
One more reason to grab up this special edition is the price. Best Buy has or had it for under $7. It originally listed for much more and will probably show up on eBay for a Benjamin once copies disappear.
Kids loved this movie, but it's intelligent and entertaining for adults as well. Just as in the golden age of animated short cartoons, Roger Rabbit contains jokes that will go over the heads of the youngsters, while their folks will chuckle at the double-entendres. (The Disney Channel cut a few of the "risqué" remarks when the movie first aired on TV.)
Length of ownership: 37
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5
The Stuff Dreams and Nightmares are Made of
on August 18, 2019
Posted by: internech
Verified Purchase:Yes
This movie is a must for Bogart, detective and film noir fans.
"The Maltese Falcon" first appeared as a serialized story in the monthly Black Mask detective magazine. in 1929. Pubished as novel with revised text by Dashiell Hammett in 1930, it's been in print ever since. Two movie versions flopped before John Huston got it right.
Huston wrote the screenplay and made his directorial debut. He stuck to Hammett's book faithfully, trimming the violence slightly and implying the gay relationships between some of the bad guys because of the censorship board.
This Blu-ray edition looks fantastic, capturing the shadows and shading of the superb black-and-white photography. Bogart IS Sam Spade; Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet, Elisha Cook, Ward Bond, Gladys George, Barton MacLane, and John Hamilton (Perry White in the Superman TV series) are among the costars and supporting actors, perfectly cast.
Director Huston made two significant revisions at the end of the film that are an improvement over the book: Hammett's novel ends when Sam Spade returns to his office and has to confront his secretary and his dead partner's wife.
Huston wisely chose to finish his film with the arrest or pending arrest of the villains. Bogart's closing line about the Maltese Falcon, "It's the Stuff Dreams Are Made of" is a quote from Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and quite fitting as the Black Bird's epitaph. The Bird is a statuette promising great wealth but leaving trails of betrayal, theft and bloody murder as people hunt it over the course of centuries.
Movie extras include a commentary; the radio versions of the movie (One with Edward G. Robinson!); cartoons and newsreels from the period, and more.
Bogart fans can make arguments for their hero's best film, but "The Maltese Falcon" is definitely among the Top Ten!
Length of ownership: 22
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![Singin' in the Rain: 60th Anniversary Collection [Blu-ray]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/07912eb7-23a9-450f-8cfb-2fe1dfb61156.jpg)
After years of honing his skills on the vaudeville stage, hoofer Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) has finally reached the top and become a swashbuckling star of the silent silver screen. Then the self-satisfied celebrity has his confidence shattered when ingenue Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) dismisses film actors as "shadows" without substance. After getting over the insult, he falls hard for her--much to the consternation of his costar, the sexy, selfish Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), who wants Don all to herself. But Don has career troubles too. The wild popularity of The Jazz Singer has studios scrambling to change from silent films to talkies, and Lina's shrill voice and Don's stiff acting left the preview audience roaring with laughter. There's only one way to save the movie and their careers: turn "The Duelling Cavalier" into a musical, with Kathy secretly dubbing in Lina's lines and songs. But can they hide the truth from Lina? This special 60th anniversary collection also includes three documentaries about the film, which film critic Pauline Kael called "Just about the best Hollywood musical of all time:" Musicals Great Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit at MGM, What a Glorious Feeling: The Making of Singin' in the Rain, and Singin' in the Rain: Raining on a New Generation.
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5
Singin' Still Shines
on August 16, 2019
Posted by: internech
Verified Purchase:Yes
"Singin' in the Rain" is arguably, one of the best if not THE best musical ever made. The title song, vocalized and choreographed by Gene Kelly is enough to make the movie a classic. When I saw a revival at Radio City Music Hall in the 1970s, the audience applauded.
However, there are more fantastic and fun song-and-dance numbers, including the epic finale "Gotta Dance" with Cyd Charisse. If that's not enough, the story, (Written by Comden and Greene), which concerns the birth of talking pictures is satirical but close to the truth.
Besides Kelly, Donald O' Conner shows his talents as a comic, creating bits for his "Make 'Em Laugh," number; Debbie Reynolds is a charming leading lady, and Jean Hagen, who would voice Miss Adelaide in "Guys and Dolls" a few years later, employs her Brooklyn-Jersey accent as Lena, the silent film star whose vocals are as grating as her personality. Actually, Ms. Hagen had a lovely voice and does the voice-over for Debbie Reynolds, who is supposed to be dubbing Lena!
This 60th Anniversary blu ray is visually stunning and sounds great too. There's a commentary and a new documentary that will fill you in on the making of the film and how it's found new audiences over the years. Plus, at a $15 price tag, it's a "Best Buy".
Length of ownership: 20
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![Shazam! [Blu-ray] [2019]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/8444ca8c-a916-4c99-be9e-753f713adbae.jpg)
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3
Shaza Meh Uneven but enjoyable film
on August 16, 2019
Posted by: internech
Verified Purchase:Yes
Shazam is the word Billy Batson says to become the world's mightiest mortal. The irony is that he can't mention his superhero name without turning back to his younger self.
This is one of the running jokes of the movie, with sidekick/buddy Freddy trying to invent heroic names for Shazam. Of course, the greater irony is that this character was known in the 1940s and early '50s as Captain Marvel. DC comics sued the publisher, Fawcett, and although Captain Marvel outsold Superman for a while, Captain Marvel comics eventually settled the lawsuit.
DC gained the rights to the character but didn't renew the name. Hence, Marvel created the alien Captain Marvel, first as a man, then rebooted as a woman in the current movie.
Shazam captures some of the fun of the older Captain Marvel series while reinventing the characters for a new age. This works on some levels, but not on others.
For example, Shazam is a bit like the Tom Hanks character in Big - a teenage boy in a man's body. But this Shazam/Billy Batson character is a bit of a wise guy and a cynic. He's been abandoned by his mother as a young child and shuttled to a bunch of foster homes. Family means nothing to him.
Oddly enough, he's chosen to become Shazam, because the old wizard with the same name finds Billy pure of heart, or at least having enough redeeming qualities to prove himself worthy of a superhero.
Thereby lies my problem with the film. Despite the fact that Shazam has the wisdom of Solomon, there are too many scenes where Billy acts like a stupid, selfish, jerk. His superhero destroys Billy's school books, rips off soda machines, poses with tourists for selfies (and expects payment). Some of this might have been amusing, but it goes on for too long. That leads me to discuss another situation with Shazam that makes it a good movie, but not a great one.
Dr. Sivana, the original Captain Marvel's arch villain, has a backstory and, eventually, powers to rival the Shazam character. (Again, harkening back to the older Sivana, the character was the world's wickedest scientist but a bit of a screwball, who invented zany schemes to defeat/destroy Captain Marvel.
This Dr. Sivana, however, is an evil wizard who uses seven deadly sins (shown as demons) to destroy and dominate as well as using the monsters for his ultimate goal to destroy Shazam and obtain his the hero's powers. But if this happens, the demons will destroy mankind. Hasn't the otherworldly evil unleashed on earth been used in enough movies?
In this version of the story, he is summoned but rejected for the role of the great hero (and treated poorly by his family), which makes him become an arch villain. He's completely without charm or humor, touches which would have tempered the darker nature of the film. (Think Loki, or Nicholson's Joker.)
A number of scenes, particularly one, shows the demons literally tearing people apart. It's much too violent and grim in contrast to the kid-friendly, light-hearted nature of most of the film. The demons seem to be generic gargoyles that have appeared in other fantasy movies. It might have been more interesting to show the Sins, (Lust, Greed, Envy, etc.) in the forms they represent. These creepy creatures will make younger viewers uncomfortable.
The twin themes of the film are family and friends are the most important values in our world. Ultimately, Billy/Shazam realizes that and becomes the hero he was meant to be. His friends play an important part in directing Shazam to become noble, which is the heart of the movie.
They are boys and girls of different ages and ethnicities and include Freddy, who has a mobility challenge, and another kid who may have an emotional or learning disability. That rainbow coalition never appeared, unfortunately, in the older Captain Marvel comics, which had some embarrassing black and Asian stereotypes.
The third part of the movie captures the warmth and humor that should have been blended more evenly in the first two "acts". There are subplots concerning bullies and Billy's attempts to find his birth mother that detract from the focus of the film. Cutting 15 minutes might have made Shazam more cohesive.
Overall, I would suggest seeing Shazam on cable or taking it out of the library and decide if it is your thing.
Length of ownership: 17
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![White Heat [Blu-ray] [1949]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/prescaled/500/500/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/304b2327-370a-41e7-956a-951dd4939472.png)
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5
Still White Hot After 70 Years
on April 12, 2019
Posted by: internech
from Wantagh, NY
Verified Purchase:Yes
Jimmy Cagney became a star after "The Public Enemy" in 1931.
He finished the decade playing in two more gangster films, "Angels With Dirty Faces," and "The Roaring Twenties." Cagney's charisma gave these characters a certain amount of likability, although they all died a violent death for their crimes.
Ten years later, Cagney topped his previous performances as psychotic, Arthur "Cody Jarrett. The movie starts with a train robbery and ends with a literally explosive heist.
There's no wasted or slow dialogue or film in this thriller. Within the first few minutes, we see Cody's ruthlessness, his unhealthy dependence on his mother (part of the gang), his bimbo wife (Virginia Mayo), and his white hot, debilitating headaches.
Unlike the gangsters of previous movies, Cagney's Cody becomes doomed by the sophisticated post-war efforts of the FBI, who use Cody's psychological profile, fingerprints, a tracking device, and an FBI mole (Edmond O'Brien) to trap Cody. The law knows Cody's father had died raving in a mental hospital, and that Cody's dependence on his mother will someday unravel and make Cody go completely insane.
White Heat contains many moments that subsequent movies would capture. Cody blasts a man through the trunk of a car when the man begs for air. Cody then casually finishes the sandwich he had been munching. Think "Dirty Harry."
Even the scenes without physical action contain tension, as Edmund O' Brien befriends Cody as a fellow "criminal" in jail. The FBI man has more than one incident where he has to think quickly to keep from being exposed.
SPOILER WARNING: The two iconic scenes in "White Heat" are the final showdown, and the prison lunch episode where Cody learns of his mother's death. Only someone as gifted as Cagney could show the slow shock on Cody's face, as he sits numbly and makes his entire body and voice explode in screaming hysteria,
and make it work. Supposedly, the cast of prison extras didn't know Cagney would react in this manner; even O' Brien looks genuinely surprised. Cody's headaches make him whimper, but ultimately his world ends with a bang.
The Blu-ray has an even sharper picture than the dvd version. You can see the Warners' crew at the height of their craft with the black-and-white photography and a great original score enhancing the powerful performances. Special nods to Virginia Mayo as the hot moll who plays second to mama, and Ma Jarrett herself.
If you've seen the Godfather films or Goodfellas, you owe it to yourself to view this classic.
I would recommend this to a friend!
He finished the decade playing in two more gangster films, "Angels With Dirty Faces," and "The Roaring Twenties." Cagney's charisma gave these characters a certain amount of likability, although they all died a violent death for their crimes.
Ten years later, Cagney topped his previous performances as psychotic, Arthur "Cody Jarrett. The movie starts with a train robbery and ends with a literally explosive heist.
There's no wasted or slow dialogue or film in this thriller. Within the first few minutes, we see Cody's ruthlessness, his unhealthy dependence on his mother (part of the gang), his bimbo wife (Virginia Mayo), and his white hot, debilitating headaches.
Unlike the gangsters of previous movies, Cagney's Cody becomes doomed by the sophisticated post-war efforts of the FBI, who use Cody's psychological profile, fingerprints, a tracking device, and an FBI mole (Edmond O'Brien) to trap Cody. The law knows Cody's father had died raving in a mental hospital, and that Cody's dependence on his mother will someday unravel and make Cody go completely insane.
White Heat contains many moments that subsequent movies would capture. Cody blasts a man through the trunk of a car when the man begs for air. Cody then casually finishes the sandwich he had been munching. Think "Dirty Harry."
Even the scenes without physical action contain tension, as Edmund O' Brien befriends Cody as a fellow "criminal" in jail. The FBI man has more than one incident where he has to think quickly to keep from being exposed.
SPOILER WARNING: The two iconic scenes in "White Heat" are the final showdown, and the prison lunch episode where Cody learns of his mother's death. Only someone as gifted as Cagney could show the slow shock on Cody's face, as he sits numbly and makes his entire body and voice explode in screaming hysteria,
and make it work. Supposedly, the cast of prison extras didn't know Cagney would react in this manner; even O' Brien looks genuinely surprised. Cody's headaches make him whimper, but ultimately his world ends with a bang.
The Blu-ray has an even sharper picture than the dvd version. You can see the Warners' crew at the height of their craft with the black-and-white photography and a great original score enhancing the powerful performances. Special nods to Virginia Mayo as the hot moll who plays second to mama, and Ma Jarrett herself.
If you've seen the Godfather films or Goodfellas, you owe it to yourself to view this classic.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Legendary actor James Cagney stars in the role for which he won an Academy Award--the life of singer, dancer and songwriter George M. Cohan, a true Yankee Doodle Dandy. This non-stop musical tour de force sings, dances and celebrates the life and career of a music man who lifted a nation, the first entertainer awarded the United States Congressional Medal of Honor for his contribution to morale. From his early days as a vaudeville perfo
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5
The Spirit of America via a Classic Movie
on March 30, 2019
Posted by: internech
from Wantagh, NY
Verified Purchase:Yes
James Cagney called "Yankee Doodle Dandy" his favorite picture. It was the only one he watched on television, He always considered himself a song-and-dance man, going back to his pre-film stage career. Here, he sheds his tough guy image to play the legendary Broadway performer, George M. Cohan.
Cagney chose this vehicle because he had been targeted by HUAC for his 1930s liberal views. He had even done a radio version of "Johnny Got His Gun," based on the Dalton Trumbo novel that provided fuel for Trumbo's being blacklisted. "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is a love song to America. No one ever questioned Cagney's loyalty again,.
As Cohan, Jimmy does the title song, "Give My Regards to Broadway," "Over There," and "It's a Grand Old Flag" (among others) with a tremendous amount of physical energy, tap dancing, strutting and filling the screen with his enthusiasm and charisma. He ad libs bits of business to give the character more humor and charm. Jimmy even improvised the scene where he dances down the White House Steps and exits to a street full of marching soldiers.
This was a tremendously important film, not just for Cagney but America. The United States had entered World War II at the end of 1941. The positive feelings, humor, and patriotism in "Yankee Doodle Dandy" helped Americans at a time when the movies provided a source of comfort and confidence. Even FDR becomes part of the movie, as Cagney/Cohan tells the life story of the famous performers to the President, in flashback form.
"Yankee Doodle Dandy" may be the most patriotic film ever released by a major American studio. Cagney won the Best Actor Academy Award for 1942. Warner Brothers sold all opening night tickets for an admission fee of War Bonds, raising close to $6 million.
Although the film is a mythical version of Cohan's life (except for his Broadway creations), you can't beat it for sheer entertainment and a great supporting cast.
Walter Huston is Jerry Cohan, the patriarch of the family. His death scene with "son" Cagney, caused the cast, crew, and even hard-boiled director Michael Curtiz to cry. Joan Leslie plays Mary, Cagney's love and (in the film) life partner. She was 17 years old to Cagney's 42, but she shines as an idealized version of Cohan's two wives, neither of whom was named Mary. Rosemary DeCamp plays Cagney's mother, although she was younger than he was.
This Blu-ray edition showcases the unparalleled black-and-white photography of James Wong Howe, Sets and costumes accurately recreate actual vaudeville and Broadway performances that made the Four Cohans a Broadway staple at the dawn of the 20th Century and well into the 1920s. George M. Cohan would continue to act, write, direct, sing and dance on the stage into the late 1930s.
The heart of the movie might be exemplified by the "Grand Old Flag" number, showing great moments in American History and featuring home front workers, servicemen, boy scouts, and an awkward (if sincere) moment where black actors sing homage to Abraham Lincoln.
The disc contains a load of extras, including commentary; a "making of" featurette; a radio adaptation of the film; the short, "Only, You, John Jones" with Cagney showing the importance of civilian defense, and even a war-themed cartoon where Daffy Duck protects scrap metal against an enemy goat. That's entertainment!
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