Move Over Darling
by Michael Gordon
from 20th Century Fox
Doris Day, the perky, chaste adult star of an odd collection of winking 1960s sex comedies, takes the Irene Dunne role in this remake of the comedy classic My Favorite Wife. As the survivor of a five-year ordeal on a desert island, she returns home the very day her husband has remarried. James Garner, trading his Maverick impish humor and con man cool for a mugging performance of double takes and pratfalls, is her overjoyed husband who is too cowardly to tell his neurotic bride (Polly Bergen). All of this, naturally, leads to a ridiculously complicated plot that combines door-slamming sex farce with mistaken identities (Day poses as a Swedish masseuse) and a goofy sped-up car chase. Chuck Connors, who costars as Day's hunky, he-man island mate "Adam," leads a topnotch supporting cast that includes sassy Thelma Ritter as Garner's no-nonsense mother, Don Knotts as a nervous shoe salesman enlisted by Day to impersonate Adam, Fred Clark at his indignant best, and John Astin and Pat Harrington in early roles. Edgar Buchanan practically steals the film as a gruff, irascible judge who growls through the legal circus that forms the film's chaotic climax. The cast for the most part rises above the tepid script and bland direction and Day sings two songs. Interestingly, this remake was originally developed for Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin as the never completed Something's Got to Give. --Sean Axmaker
Say "I do" to "madcap comedy" (Box Office) and "exuberant farce" (Film Daily) in this feel-good romp about one groom, two wives and one delightfully daffy honeymoon! Starring Doris Day, James Garner and Polly Bergen, Move Over, Darling is "a funny, funny film!" (Hollywood Citizen News) that's the perfect union of "humor, romance and heart" (The Hollywood Reporter)!
Five years after losing his first wife Ellen (Day) at sea, Nick (Garner) is finally ready to have her declared legally dead, get remarried and settle down to a peaceful second marriage! But wedded bliss becomes marital mayhem when Ellen turns up alive -- with a hilarious, hair-brained scheme to win back her husband, put a stop to the honeymoon and give first love a second chance-at happily-ever-after!
Pillow Talk
by Michael Gordon
from Universal Studios
Jan Morrow (Doris Day) and Brad Allen (Rock Hudson) have never met, but they're sworn enemies because of one small appliance in their lives: the telephone. The two share a party line, and Jan is outraged over the amount of time Bill spends wooing women over the phone. A convenient triangle emerges when a client (Tony Randall) of Jan's--she's an interior decorator--falls in love with her and happens to be Brad's old college chum. When Brad makes the connection, he decides to try to court Jan himself, to make her more sympathetic to his phone woes. Of course, she'd never go for such a heel, so he passes himself off as Rex Stetson, a Texas rancher visiting New York. The ensuing tale, albeit predictable, is lots of fun, with some quick-witted dialogue and some clever use of split-screens for the phone calls. Thelma Ritter is hilarious as Jan's always-hung-over maid, Alma; and the pairing of Rock and Doris works beautifully, as always. --Jenny Brown
No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: NR
Release Date: 6-APR-2004
Media Type: DVD
Cyrano de Bergerac
by Michael Gordon
from Alpha Video
Edmond Rostand's ineffably romantic play about the big-nosed soldier and swordsman with a poet's soul looks stagey in this 1950 film adaptation. But, thanks to a heartfelt performance by Jose Ferrer (who won an Oscar for the role), the beauty of Rostand's words shines through. Ferrer plays Cyrano, who is in love with the beautiful Roxanne but is unable to tell her so for fear that she will reject him because of his extremely prominent nose. In a heart-breaking turn, she confesses her love to him--but it is love for another man, a soldier under his command named Christian. Christian, however, is a good-hearted but tongue-tied youngster, and so the older Cyrano woos Roxanne vicariously by supplying Christian with his own words of love, most famously in a balcony scene in which Cyrano speaks for himself while pretending to be Christian. Ferrer is tender, tough, and funny and single-handedly pulls this film to near-greatness. --Marshall Fine
Rock Hudson Screen Legend Collection (The Golden Blade / Has Anybody Seen My Gal? / The Last Sunset / The Spiral Road / A Very Special Favor)
by Michael Gordon
from Universal Studios
This three-disc, five-film set spans a decade (1952-62) in Rock Hudson's career. It is not the ideal introduction to the strapping, ruggedly handsome leading man who, in his prime, was among Hollywood's top five biggest box office stars for eight years running. But his fans will want to add these more obscure and admirably diverse films--each making its DVD debut--to their collections. The most entertaining film, Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952) is an amusing trifle set in the 1920s, but it does mark Hudson's first film with Douglas Sirk, who would direct Hudson in some of his best films, including Written on the Wind, All That Heaven Allows, and Magnificent Obsession. Hudson is cast in a small but pivotal role as a poor but honest soda jerk in love with Piper Laurie, whose social-climbing mother does not approve. Charles Coburn is the real star as an eccentric millionaire who teaches the family that "it's not money that makes a person happy." Look for an uncredited James Dean at the soda fountain counter. Hudson was perhaps best known for his romantic comedies opposite Doris Day, and what a difference Day's absence makes in the somewhat icky A Very Special Favor (1965). Womanizer Hudson brings "fulfillment" into the life of career woman Leslie Caron at the request of her father (!), portrayed by Charles Boyer. The Arabian Nights adventure The Golden Blade (1953) is pure escapism with a questionably cast Hudson as Harun, who becomes embroiled in Baghdad palace intrigue as he searches for his father's killer. He is armed with the magical Sword of Damascus, which only seems to work when he wields it.
The most provocative film in this set is the 1961 Western The Last Sunset, co-starring Kirk Douglas as a killer sheriff Hudson has sworn to bring in to be hanged. But first, they agree to help Joseph Cotten drive his cattle across the border from his Mexican ranch. Dorothy Malone costars as Cotten's wife and Kirk's lost love, whose 16-year-old daughter's true parentage will cause Kirk some disquieting problems after he romances her. The Spiral Road (1962), very long at nearly three hours, stars Hudson as an arrogant, upstart doctor who seeks to advance his career by working in the Borneo jungle with Brits Jansen (Burl Ives), whose groundbreaking work with leprosy Hudson wants to chronicle. While none of these films rank among Hudson's most essential work, it is a Rock-solid collection that charts the development of an old-school movie star. --Donald Liebenson
The Embodiment of Hollywood's Leading Man! This Collection ShowcasesRock Hudson's Illustrious Screen Presence!System Requirements:Running Time: 88 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/CLASSIC Rating: NR UPC: 025193092120 Manufacturer No: 61030921
Cyrano de Bergerac / The Son of Monte Cristo
by Michael Gordon
from Marengo Films
"Cyrano de Bergerac" (1950, 107 min.) - The classic story of Cyrano, the tragic wit renowned for his nose and unrequited love for the beautiful Roxanne. Jose Ferrer won an Academy Award for his protrayal of the title role. "The Son of Monte Cristo" (194
Rock Hudson & Doris Day Romance Collection (Pillow Talk / Lover Come Back / Send Me No Flowers)
by Delbert Mann
from Universal Studios
Pillow Talk
by Michael Gordon
from Universal Studios
Jan Morrow (Doris Day) and Brad Allen (Rock Hudson) have never met, but they're sworn enemies because of one small appliance in their lives: the telephone. The two share a party line, and Jan is outraged over the amount of time Bill spends wooing women over the phone. A convenient triangle emerges when a client (Tony Randall) of Jan's--she's an interior decorator--falls in love with her and happens to be Brad's old college chum. When Brad makes the connection, he decides to try to court Jan himself, to make her more sympathetic to his phone woes. Of course, she'd never go for such a heel, so he passes himself off as Rex Stetson, a Texas rancher visiting New York. The ensuing tale, albeit predictable, is lots of fun, with some quick-witted dialogue and some clever use of split-screens for the phone calls. Thelma Ritter is hilarious as Jan's always-hung-over maid, Alma; and the pairing of Rock and Doris works beautifully, as always. --Jenny Brown
Great Literature on Film 4 Movie Pack
by George Schaefer
from BCI / Eclipse
Cyrano De Bergerac Fabulous Hero! Famous Nose! The Most Loved of All Love Stories! He was the three musketeers in one and one lover in a million! It was France 1640: Cyrano the charismatic swordsman-poet with the absurdly large nose hopelessly loves the beauteous Roxanne: she in turn confesses to Cyrano her love for the handsome but tongue-tied Christian. The chivalrous Cyrano sets up with Christian an innocent deception with tragic results. This film was later made into the popular film "Roxanne" starring Steve Martin. Cyrano De Bergerac is a classic to say the least!Runtime: 107 minutesOf Human BondageThe Love That Lifted a Man to Paradise. . . and Hurled Him Back to Earth Again. Abandoning artistic ambitions sensitive and club-footed Philip Carey enrolls in medical school and falls in love with illiterate waitress Mildred Rogers. Theirs is a love that won't soon be forgotten. A tale of love loss and forgiveness at all costs. "Of Human Bondage" is a classic piece of American film history and stars film greats Leslie Howard and Bette Davis.Runtime: 83 minutes: Last of the Belles The "The Last of the Belles" is a semi-fictional account of how writer F. Scott Fitzgerald met his wife while he was in the Army and stationed in Alabama in 1919. "Belles" is a story within a story. Fitzgerald (Richard Chamberlain) and his wife Zelda (Blythe Danner) have returned form Europe. Through high living he is deeply in debt while his wife Zelda has distanced herself becoming obsessed with being a ballerina even though she is 30 years old and never had a dance lesson which indeed was true of the real Zelda. Fitzgerald is out of ideas for new stories and spends the empty hours carousing. Finally the seed of an idea for a story begins to emerge. The film then alternates between Fitzgerald's life and his story of young soldiers from the north at a training camp in the south during World War I and the southern belles they court. David Huffman and Susan Sar
Cyrano De Bergerac
by Michael Gordon
from Image Entertainment
Edmond Rostand's ineffably romantic play about the big-nosed soldier and swordsman with a poet's soul looks stagey in this 1950 film adaptation. But, thanks to a heartfelt performance by Jose Ferrer (who won an Oscar for the role), the beauty of Rostand's words shines through. Ferrer plays Cyrano, who is in love with the beautiful Roxanne but is unable to tell her so for fear that she will reject him because of his extremely prominent nose. In a heart-breaking turn, she confesses her love to him--but it is love for another man, a soldier under his command named Christian. Christian, however, is a good-hearted but tongue-tied youngster, and so the older Cyrano woos Roxanne vicariously by supplying Christian with his own words of love, most famously in a balcony scene in which Cyrano speaks for himself while pretending to be Christian. Ferrer is tender, tough, and funny and single-handedly pulls this film to near-greatness. --Marshall Fine
The beloved Nineteenth Century tale of romance and swashbuckling comes to the screen in this lavish production from producer Stanley Kramer (Inherit the Wind). A charismatic poet and swordsman with a large nose, Cyrano (Jose Ferrer) reluctantly aids another in the pursuit of his one true love, the ravishing Roxane; the result is pure fun and excitement! Winner of the 1950 Best Actor Academy Award®: José Ferrer and mastered from Original 35mm Nitrate Fine Grain.
+++



