Musicals & Performing Arts

Essential Classics - American Musicals (The Music Man / Meet Me in St. Louis / Seven Brides for Seven Brothers)

This three-disc set, part of Warner's Essential Classics series, collects three truly classic films--The Music Man, Meet Me in St. Louis, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers--in one inexpensive package. The drawback is you don't get the second disc of either Meet Me in St. Louis or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, so if you're a featurette junky or if you simply have to see the reshot version of Seven Brides, you'll want to stick with the individual releases. But this set does include the commentary tracks and any other material that was on the first disc of those two-disc sets (The Music Man still has everything that was on the one-disc release), and best of all, they have the great remastered pictures of the previous releases. So if you just want the movies looking better than ever with some bonus features thrown in for good measure, the price per movie makes this set an attractive bargain. --David Horiuchi

Disc 1: THE MUSIC MAN Disc 2: MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS Disc 3: SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERSFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS UPC: 085391132851 Manufacturer No: 113285

Essential Classics - Musicals (My Fair Lady / Singin' in the Rain / Gigi)

Disc 1: MY FAIR LADY Disc 2: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN Disc 3: GIGIFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS UPC: 085391132844 Manufacturer No: 113284

The Carmen Miranda Collection (The Gang's All Here / If I'm Lucky / Something for the Boys / Greenwich Village / Doll Face)

The best-loved and most colorful performer from the canon of Fox musicals finally gets a collection all of her own. Carmen Miranda the singer/dancer/actress most famous for her outrageous Busby Berkeley banana hat and her trade-mark sarongs stars in 5 classics movies in one colorful collection.Disc 1: Doll FaceDisc 2: Greenwich VillageDisc 3: If I'm LuckyDisc 4: Something For the BoysDisc 5: The Gang's All Here RemasteredFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS Rating: NR UPC: 024543520115 Manufacturer No: 2252011

The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection [Remastered] (The Sound of Music / The King and I / Oklahoma! / South Pacific / State Fair / Carousel)

Among the most successful musical teams of the 20th century composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein Jr. created some of America's most beloved stage and screen musicals. Several of their best-known works are part of this new six-title anthology from 20th Century Fox. Updating an earlier box this wonderful 12-disc collection includes the 2005-06 remastered DVDs of the Fox R&H canon most of which are Anniversary Editions and each of which includes a bonus disc. Multiple Academy Award-winner The Sound of Music (1965) is the most recent of the productions included here and it bookends the set's two-decade span with State Fair ('45). The remaining four films represent the mother lode of Broadway-to-screen adaptations including: Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae in the Technicolor landmark Oklahoma! ('55) and its follow-up Carousel ('56); the lavish costume drama The King and I ('56) featuring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr (singing with Marni Nixon's voice of course); and the ambitious wartime extravaganza South Pacific ('58).Episodes-Bonus Features: Disc 1: Carousel Special EditionDisc 2: Carousel Special Edition-Bonus DiscDisc 3: King and I Special EditionDisc 4: King and I Special Edition-Bonus DiscDisc 5: South Pacific Special EditionDisc 6: South Pacific Special Edition-Bonus DiscDisc 7: Sound of Music Special EditionDisc 8: Sound of Music Special Edition-Bonus DiscDisc 9: State Fair Special EditionDisc 10: State Fair Special Edition-Bonus DiscDisc 11: Oklahoma Special EditionDisc 12: Oklahoma Special Edition-Bonus DiscFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS Rating: NR UPC: 024543382294 Manufacturer No: 2238229

The Rodgers & Hammerstein Collection contains film versions of the five major works by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, who helped define the American musical landscape and rewrite the direction of musical theater. After enjoying extremely successful careers working with others, Rodgers and Hammerstein first teamed up in 1943 for the prairie tale Oklahoma!, with songs including "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" and "People Will Say We're in Love." The subsequent 1955 film starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, who teamed up again for 1956's Carousel. While that film's dark nature made it less popular than its predecessor, the score ("If I Loved You," "You'll Never Walk Alone") was Rodgers's favorite. The King and I (also 1956) featured stage star Yul Brynner as the King of Siam and Deborah Kerr as schoolteacher Anna Leonowens, who must learn Asian customs even as she tries to instill some of her Western ones. The somewhat bloated version of South Pacific (1958) follows two couples during World War II and features standards such as "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" and "Some Enchanted Evening" from stars Mitzi Gaynor and Rossano Brazzi. The last film, The Sound of Music (1965), proved to be the most popular, with Julie Andrews winning the hearts of seven children and their father with her blissful songs. And if the perhaps saccharine music and plot may test the patience of some, there's no doubt that songs such as "My Favorite Things" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" have charmed audiences around the world for decades. Accompanying the Big 5 in this set is the relatively minor State Fair from 1945 (though it does have "It Might as Well Be Spring" and "It's a Grand Night for Singing"). Some may expect and prefer other entries in the R&H canon such as Flower Drum Song or the television production Cinderella, but those were produced by different studios.

This 12-disc set from 2006 includes the two-disc special editions of each film, remastered and anamorphically enhanced for widescreen TVs (except State Fair, which was shot in traditional 1.33:1 aspect ratio). Bonus features include the Todd-AO version of Oklahoma! (which should look better than the CinemaScope version but doesn't); 40th-anniversary bonus material for The Sound of Music, including a commentary track by Julie Andrews; Lilliom, the 1934 film based on the same story as Carousel; and the 1962 version of State Fair starring Pat Boone and Ann-Margaret. --David Horiuchi

The Busby Berkeley Collection, Vol. 2 (Gold Diggers of 1937 / Gold Diggers in Paris / Hollywood Hotel / Varsity Show)

Gene Kelly Collection (Singin' in the Rain / An American in Paris / On the Town / Anatomy of a Dancer)

Hollywood's greatest dancer in four stand-out features. An American in Paris; Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer; On the Town; Singin' in the RainFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS UPC: 085392666027

The Gene Kelly Collection is an unbeatable selection of DVDs showcasing the marvelous Gene Kelly, the Pittsburgh kid whose ballet shoes burst with muscle and ambition. Singin' in the Rain (1952) is everybody's favorite musical, a sarcastic spoof of the early days of talking pictures directed by Kelly and longtime collaborator Stanley Donen. (Ah, the joys of DVD: to be able to zap into the blissful title number or Donald O'Connor's "Make 'Em Laugh" at the touch of a button. Plus, the 2002 special edition is exceptional.) An American in Paris (1951), a dream project for Kelly and director Vincente Minnelli, is at its best in its glorious Gershwin numbers. Kelly's lengthy fantasy ballet, drenched in all the Technicolor MGM could muster, may have you thinking that this, after all, is why movies were invented.

Kelly and Donen forced MGM to let them shoot on location in New York for the exteriors of On the Town (1949), the movie that took musicals into the open air (and remained Kelly's favorite of his films). The spirited dancing and the wisecracking Comden-Green script make this an ebullient tale of three sailors on a 24-hour leave. The choreography plays multiple variations on the triangular team of Kelly, Jules Munshin, and a still-gawky Frank Sinatra. Finally, Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002) is a terrific American Masters documentary, with oodles of superbly chosen (mint condition) film clips and interviews with many of Kelly's friends and colleagues. The emphasis is on how Kelly changed the image of the male dancer, complementing the aristocratic Fred Astaire with a more blue-collar, regular-Joe approach. It's an unblinking portrait, acknowledging the taskmaster behind the pearly grin. Those revelations make perfect sense when you see the astonishing dances: how could anyone this great not be a perfectionist? --Robert Horton

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Special Edition)

This 1968 kiddie-car caper is flawed but solid family fare. It retains a quaint charm while some of the songs--including the title tune--are quite hummable. A huge plus is Dick Van Dyke, who is extremely appealing as an eccentric inventor around the turn of the century. With nimble fingers and a unique way of looking at the world, he invents for his children a magic car that floats and flies. Or does he? The special effects are tame by today's standards, and the film is about 20 minutes too long--but its enthusiasm charms. The script was cowritten by Roald Dahl and based on the novel by Ian Fleming, best known for his James Bond adventures. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Let your imagination take flight with one of the most wonderful family films of all time! Dick Van Dyke will take you on an incredible ride in an extraordinary car called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Experience this timeless Oscar®-nominated classic in an all-new definitive Special Edition that boasts an array of extras as magical as the film itself.System Requirements: Running Time 145 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: G UPC: 027616898159 Manufacturer No: 1005540

West Side Story (Special Edition DVD Collector's Set)

A triumph on every level this magnificent achievement set a standard for modern movie musicals that remains unsurpassed to this day. Featuring an unforgettable score ("Maria" "America" "Somewhere" "Tonight") and groundbreaking choreography the film sets the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet against the backdrop of gang warfare in 1950s New York. Starring Natalie Wood Richard Beymer Russ Tamblyn Rita Moreno and George Chakiris West Side Story is "a stunning piece of visual entertainment" (Boxoffice) and "the best film musical ever made" (The New Republic)!System Requirements:Starring: Natalie Wood Richard Beymer Russ Tamblyn Rita Moreno and George Chakiris. Directed By: Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. Running Time: 152 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2003 MGM Studios.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS Rating: NR UPC: 027616884343 Manufacturer No: 1004353

The winner of 10 Academy Awards, this 1961 musical by choreographer Jerome Robbins and director Robert Wise (The Sound of Music) remains irresistible. Based on a smash Broadway play updating Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the 1950s era of juvenile delinquency, the film stars Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as the star-crossed lovers from different neighborhoods--and ethnicities. The film's real selling points, however, are the highly charged and inventive song-and-dance numbers, the passionate ballads, the moody sets, colorful support from Rita Moreno, and the sheer accomplishment of Hollywood talent and technology producing a film so stirring. Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim wrote the score. --Tom Keogh

That's Entertainment! The Complete Collection

Includes That's Entertainment That's Entertainment Part 2 and That's Entertainment III with special footage offered exclusively in the giftset for a total of more than five hours of exciting extra footage including three great documentaries premiere night coverage and salutes to the great behind-the-camera talents TV specials making-of featurettes plus an extensive video jukebox of rare star-packed musical outtakes from classic films and more!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. UPC: 012569691520

In an era when we have an unprecedented number of movies and other diversions at our fingertips, is there still a need for a clip show like That's Entertainment? Certainly, because the film series, beginning in 1974, was an unabashed peddler of glorious nostalgia, not only collecting many of the most memorable moments in the magical history of the MGM musical--and therefore in the history of film--but bringing in many of the original stars to introduce them decades later. And another few decades after the series was released, the nostalgia is that much greater since many of those stars are now gone. In addition, the sheer number and variety of clips (though they're often too short) would be hard to match in any collection or in the span of an evening's viewing. Where else could you enjoy Gene Kelly singin' in the rain and also James Stewart crooning "Easy to Love"? Or follow fun trends like the Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland "let's put on a show" pictures, of which Rooney says "only our names seemed to change"? Following the surprising box-office success of the initial film, Part 2 was released in 1976 and it still had plenty of famous and obscure clips (remember Bobby Van?), and even a nod to the nonmusical films of the era such as the Hepburn-Tracy pictures. It topped everything off with the irresistible pairing of hosts Kelly and Fred Astaire, who share a dance--for only the second time in their careers--at the ages of 64 and 77, respectively (and a more graceful 77-year-old you never will see!). The third film wasn't made until in 1994 (host Kelly is strikingly older), but it offered more of the usual fare plus a variety of cut numbers by such stars as Judy Garland, Lena Horne, and Debbie Reynolds. A half-century later, Hollywood's valentine to the movie musical was still shining strong.

The DVD trilogy set offers all three films with the choice of widescreen anamorphic or full-screen formats (don't worry, the clips are in their original aspect ratio). There's also a two-sided fourth disc with supplemental material, most interestingly the "musical outtakes jukebox," a 16-song, 49-minute collection of numbers that were cut from musicals of the era. None of the selections are Great Songs, but it's hard to discount any musical number from the MGM vaults, for example, three selections by Garland and two by Horne (only one of which, Garland's "Mr. Monotony," appears in TE3, and there in a slightly shorter form). The rest of the content is behind-the-scenes documentaries, the most significant being "That's Entertainment: The Masters Behind the Musical" (37 minutes, profiling the talent behind the films such as Arthur Freed and Michael Kidd), "That's Entertainment III: Behind the Screen" (1994, 53 minutes), and vintage black-and-white footage of MGM's 25th anniversary celebration (10 minutes). Not included in the set: the 1985 compilation That's Dancing, which was released separately in 2007. --David Horiuchi

Best of TV Detectives 150 Episodes

Available for the first time 150 complete episodes from 33 exciting television series of the 1950's to the 1970's. You will not believe your eyes when you watch such thrilling programs as Dragnet Alfred Hitchcock Presents Mannix Burke's Law Dick Tracy Gang Busters Mr. & Mrs. North Racket Squad and Richard Diamond: Private Eye. See great television stars such as Mike Connors Jack Webb Doug McClure Ralph Byrd Richard Crane David Janssen Richard Denning and Charles Bronson who came into your homes each week bringing you exciting tales of lawlessness and the men who fought it. You will have hours of enjoyment watching these classic crime fighters in action!Included:1. Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu The2. Adventures of Ellery Queen The3. Alfred Hitchcock Presents4. Bulldog Drummond5. Burke's Law6. Cases of Eddie Drake The7. Checkmate8. Code 39. Colonel March of Scotland Yard10. Court of Last Resort The11. Decoy12. Dick Tracy13. Dragnet14. Federal Men15. Follow That Man16. Front Page Detective17. Gang Busters18. I'm The Law19. Lawless Years The20. Lock Up21. Lone Wolf The22. Man Behind the Badge The23. Man With A Camera24. Mannix25. Martin Kane Private Eye26. Miami Undercover27. Michael Shayne28. Mr. and Mrs. North29. Public Defender The30. Racket Squad31. Richard Diamond - Private Detective32. Shadow The33. Sheriff of CochiseSystem Requirements:TRT: 2553 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 826831070308 Manufacturer No: MV07030