Provine, Dorothy

The Great Race

Director Blake Edwards, fresh from the success of the first two Pink Panther movies, indulged his love of classic slapstick comedy with this long free-for-all, which throws in everything but Laurel and Hardy's kitchen sink. The film reunites Some Like It Hot stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, ably aided by a spunky Natalie Wood. The subject is a New-York-to-Paris auto race in the early years of the 20th century, pitting the Great Leslie (Curtis), a goody-goody dressed all in white--even his teeth sparkle--against the malevolent Professor Fate (Lemmon), whose coal-black heart is reflected in his handlebar mustache. He looks like a bill collector from a silent- movie melodrama. Lemmon does double duty, also playing the pampered, drunken king of a small European country, whose laugh sounds like the wail of a cat in heat. The film may be too long for its own good, and you really have to love Jack Lemmon to put up with his over-the-top performance, but it's side-splitting in spots. It's one of those movies, if seen in childhood, that stays in your mind for years afterward. Some of the bigger routines, such as a pie fight of epic proportions, don't work as well as the simple chemistry between the perpetually exasperated Professor Fate and his much-abused assistant, Max (a terrific Peter Falk). Push the button, Max. --Robert Horton

At the turn of the 20th century a host of colorful characters set out on a 20000-mile auto race from New York to Paris and hilarity ensues. (1965)Running Time: 164 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 085391109129 Manufacturer No: 11091

It'sa Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Stanley Kramer's sprawling 1963 comedy about a search for buried treasure by at least a dozen people--all played by well-known entertainers of their day--is the kind of mass comedy that Hollywood hasn't made in many years. (Another example from around the same time is Blake Edwards's The Great Race.) After a number of strangers (including Milton Berle, Jonathan Winters, Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers, and others) witness a dying stranger (Jimmy Durante) identify the location of hidden money, a conflict-ridden hunt begins, watched over carefully by a suspicious cop (Spencer Tracy). The ensuing two and a half hours of mayhem has its ups and downs--some bits and performers are certainly funnier than others. But Kramer, who is better known for socially conscious, serious cinema (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?), is in a mood for broad comic characterization, and some of his jokes are so intentionally obvious (Durante literally kicks a bucket when he dies), they'd have a place in Airplane! Watch for lots of cameo appearances, including Jerry Lewis (who had called Kramer and asked him why he hadn't been invited to participate). --Tom Keogh

Spencer Tracy heads a hilariously zany cast that stars Hollywood's greatest comedians (Milton Berle Sid Caesar Buddy Hackett Ethel Merman Mickey Rooney Dick Shawn Phil Silvers Terry-Thomas and Jonathan Winters) and features cameo appearances by every joker and jester in the business from Don Knotts and Jerry Lewis to The Three Stooges. Nominated* for 6 Oscars® It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World is "an explosive motion picture experience" (Variety)!On a winding desert highway eight vacation-bound motorists share an experience that alters their plans and their lives! After a mysterious stranger divulges the location of a stolen fortune they each speed off in a mind-bending car-bashing race for the loot and the most side-splitting laughfest in history.*1963: Sound Effects (won) Cinematography Sound Song Score Film Editing.System Requirements:Running Time: 154 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: G UPC: 027616902740 Manufacturer No: 1006051

That Darn Cat!

When a slightly cross-eyed Siamese cat named D.C. (Darn Cat) turns up with a wristwatch around his neck instead of a collar, it could be just the clue the FBI needs to crack a series of bank robberies in this lightweight comedy from Disney. The watch belongs to a bank teller who has been taken hostage. Dean Jones stars as the good-hearted FBI agent assigned to the case. Unfortunately, he is highly allergic to, you guessed it, cats. Hayley Mills is D.C.'s doting owner who hatches a hair-brained scheme to follow D.C.'s every move until he returns to the crooks' hideout where he got the wristwatch. After a lot of sneezing, slapstick, and comedic intrigue, the bank robbers are foiled, the hostage is safe, and everyone is happy. An impressive supporting cast of Frank Gorshin, Elsa Lanchester, Roddy McDowall, and Ed Wynn add to the zaniness. Released in 1965 (and remade in 1997), it is understandably dated, but the performances are fun nonetheless. Hayley Mills is delightful as the determined and unflappable wannabe sleuth, and Dean Jones proves he is adept at physical comedy. This is a movie of little consequence, just a clean, fun diversion that the whole family can watch. The theme song is sung by Bobby Darin. --Peggy Maltby-Etra

The fur flies when a smart Siamese cat goes undercover and Hayley Mills and Dean Jones team up for mystery, adventure, and wild comedy on Disney DVD. When the irrepressible and always hungry D.C. (Darn Cat) turns up with a wristwatch for a collar, it becomes a tip-off to an unsolved robbery and kidnapping. You don't know who's tailing who as nosy neighbors, jealous boyfriends, and a highly allergic FBI agent play a game of cat and mouse to crack the baffling case. Don't miss the spectacular supporting cast featuring Dorothy Provine, Roddy McDowall, Frank Gorshin, and Ed Wynn, plus 100 purr-cent feline family fun!

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Stanley Kramer's sprawling 1963 comedy about a search for buried treasure by at least a dozen people--all played by well-known entertainers of their day--is the kind of mass comedy that Hollywood hasn't made in many years. (Another example from around the same time is Blake Edwards's The Great Race.) After a number of strangers (including Milton Berle, Jonathan Winters, Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers, and others) witness a dying stranger (Jimmy Durante) identify the location of hidden money, a conflict-ridden hunt begins, watched over carefully by a suspicious cop (Spencer Tracy). The ensuing two and a half hours of mayhem has its ups and downs--some bits and performers are certainly funnier than others. But Kramer, who is better known for socially conscious, serious cinema (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?), is in a mood for broad comic characterization, and some of his jokes are so intentionally obvious (Durante literally kicks a bucket when he dies), they'd have a place in Airplane! Watch for lots of cameo appearances, including Jerry Lewis (who had called Kramer and asked him why he hadn't been invited to participate). --Tom Keogh

Never a Dull Moment

Whodunnit? That's the question Jack Albany hopes to expose in Disney's 1968 madcap comedy Never a Dull Moment, starring Dick Van Dyke. Albany, a struggling actor in New York, is mistaken for infamous West Coast gangster Ace Williams and whisked to the mansion of mob boss Leo Smooth to be hired as lead mobster in an art museum robbery. Joining the company of a motley group of operators, Albany realizes that his only chances for survival depend on performing the acting job of his life: impersonating a dangerous killer. Things get dicey when the real Ace Williams shows up, since one of this pair of aces is about to be discarded as a joker. Albany's only hope for escape is to convince an innocent art teacher (Dorothy Provine) to become his ally. Combining Van Dyke's physical comedy with a stellar supporting cast (Henry Silva, Slim Pickens, and Jack Elam) make this lesser-known Disney film a delightful family jaunt. (Ages 8 and older) --Lynn Gibson

There's magic in the memories as great Disney moments are captured right here for you and your family to enjoy. Welcome to the world of Jack Albany -- New Yorker, struggling actor -- and art thief? He isn't really, but when a mobster kingpin with his eye on a priceless painting mistakes Albany for a famous West Coast gangster, Jack's earnest attempts to set the record straight only escalate his involvement in a daring museum robbery. Dick Van Dyke, Edward G. Robinson, and Dorothy Provine head a cast of crooks, molls, heroes, and half-wits in this fast-paced, laugh-packed comedy thriller!

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World [Region 2]

Stanley Kramer's sprawling 1963 comedy about a search for buried treasure by at least a dozen people--all played by well-known entertainers of their day--is the kind of mass comedy that Hollywood hasn't made in many years. (Another example from around the same time is Blake Edwards's The Great Race.) After a number of strangers (including Milton Berle, Jonathan Winters, Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers, and others) witness a dying stranger (Jimmy Durante) identify the location of hidden money, a conflict-ridden hunt begins, watched over carefully by a suspicious cop (Spencer Tracy). The ensuing two and a half hours of mayhem has its ups and downs--some bits and performers are certainly funnier than others. But Kramer, who is better known for socially conscious, serious cinema (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?), is in a mood for broad comic characterization, and some of his jokes are so intentionally obvious (Durante literally kicks a bucket when he dies), they'd have a place in Airplane! Watch for lots of cameo appearances, including Jerry Lewis (who had called Kramer and asked him why he hadn't been invited to participate). --Tom Keogh