Lanfield, Sidney

The Addams Family - Volume 3

The Addams Family is not your typical family: they take delight in most of the things that "normal" people would be terrified of. Relive the misadventures of America s favorite frightfully funny family.System Requirements:Running Time: 588 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 027616087676 Manufacturer No: M108767

The Addams Family - Volume One

They're creepy and they're kooky mysterious and spooky and now for the first time they're on DVD! The Addams Family America's first family of ghastly giddiness are here in all of their ghoulish glory in the original TV series based on the delightfully demented imagination of Charles Addams. Tarantulas torture racks and tombstones have never been so much fun! Join Gomez Morticia Uncle Fester Lurch Cousin Itt and the rest of the gang for a fiendishly funny and altogether kooky experience. It's time to pay a call on The Addams Family!Episodes-Bonus Features: Disc 1 side A:**The Addams Family Goes to School**Morticia and the Psychiatrist**Fester's Punctuated Romance**Gomez the Politician*Audio commentary for "The Addams Family Goes to School" by director Arthur HillerDisc 1 side B:**The Addams Family Tree**Morticia Joins the Ladies League**Halloween with the Addams Family**Green Eyed GomezDisc 2 side A:**The New Neighbors Meet the Addams Family**Wednesday Leaves Home**The Addams Family Meets the VIPs**Morticia the MatchmakerDisc 2 side B:**Lurch Learns to Dance**Art and the Addams Family**The Addams Family Meets the Beatnik**The Addams Family Meets the Undercover ManDisc 3 side A:**Mother Lurch Visits the Addams Family**Uncle Fester's Illness**The Addams Family Splurges**Cousin Itt Visits the Addams FamilyDisc 3 side B:**The Addams Family In Court**Amnesia in the Addams Family*Featurettes:-You Rang Mr. Addams-Snap Snap*Theme Song KareokeSystem Requirements:Running Time 572 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 027616060129 Manufacturer No: M106012

If The Munsters was a traditional family sitcom as reimagined by Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, The Addams Family is a macabre twist on Father Knows Best. The Munster and Addams clans made their TV debuts in 1964 and lasted two seasons before the networks buried them. The Addamses are now gloriously resurrected in this three-disc set that digs up the series' first 22 episodes (oddly, 12 shy of the complete first season). Inspired by Charles Addams's New Yorker cartoons, The Addams Family is fiendishly funny, with a dead-on cast that indelibly embodies Addams's characters. John Astin brings a demented glee to eccentric, frighteningly wealthy Gomez Addams. Carolyn Jones is bewitching as his pre-goth wife, Morticia, whom the Beatles might have had in mind when they sang, "Baby's in Black." Jackie Coogan is the electrifying Uncle Fester, with Ted Cassidy (who famously took a kick in the groin from Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) is the monstrous butler Lurch, whose "You rang?" entered the pop culture lexicon.

The Munsters was family friendly. The Addams Family is more sophisticated and wickedly funny. As Gomez notes at one point, "There's a touch of madness" in the Addams household, where "every day is Halloween." Bear rugs growl, a disembodied hand, Thing, delivers the mail, and a torture rack is good for what ails you. The children, Wednesday (Lisa Loring) and older brother Pugsley (Ken Weatherwax), enjoy such hobbies as playing autopsy or exploding model trains. Gomez and Morticia were one of television's most passionate couples, with Gomez being driven to arm-kissing ecstasy whenever Morticia spoke French. The last episode included in this collection, "Amnesia in the Addams Family," is a classic in which Gomez is rendered "normal" following a conk on the head. The look of disgust on Morticia and Lurch's face when he asks for a glass of milk is priceless. The "altogether ooky" extras include three episode commentaries, a featurette on Charles Addams, reminiscences from cast members Astin, Loring, and Weatherwax, a segment on the creation of the classic snap-snap theme song ("They're creepy and they're kooky...."), and the inevitable theme song sing-along. The Addams Family at last on DVD? As Gomez might exclaim: "Capital!" --Donald Liebenson

The Addams Family - Volume 2

Based on the original Goth cartoons by Charles "Chas" Addams that ran for decades in the New Yorker magazine, The Addams Family television sitcom portrayed a monster family whose moribund physical appearances were counteracted by each family member's exuberance for passion and adventure. This Volume Two DVD contains twenty-one episodes, including the last of season one and the whole of season two, plus commentaries, and a featurette about the cinematic impact The Addams Family had on American television culture. Premiering the same year as The Munsters, this short-lived series was one of the first two shows to take issue with the Leave It To Beaver aesthetic that dominated television throughout the 50s, in which perfect families narrowly defined normality in the American home. Instead, it starred a family feared by neighbors, who within the boundaries of their haunted Victorian mansion invented their own thriving, not to mention fun, culture. The Addams Family proved that outsiders could be extremely gracious, educated, and interesting, even if eccentricities rendered their looks a threat.

These episodes include the original cast: Gomez (John Astin) and Morticia (Carolyn Jones), Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan), the two children Wednesday and Pugley, butler Lurch, hairy Cousin Itt, and the enigmatic hand, Thing, who plays castanets for the married couples' cha cha parties, and looks up things in phone books. Macabre humor in each episode reverses average, expected logic. Flower arranging, for Morticia, involves de-budding and stripping roses of all but the thorns. In "Morticia, The Sculptress," Gomez bribes a local art dealer to buy Morticia's hideous art at the Addams Family's own expense, revealing Gomez to be a strange but loving husband. In most episodes, such as "Lurch, The Teenage Idol" and "Cousin Itt and the Vocational Counselor," The Addams' aim to help their loved ones succeed, in these cases Lurch, as a harpsichord-playing pop star, and Itt, on a career search for an unintelligible, hair-covered little person. The Addams Family house interior still looks exquisite forty years later, full of taxidermied animals, antique furniture, carnivorous plants, and medieval charm. One watches this show not only for its sets and costumes, but also for its refreshingly wide take on what successful families can look like. --Trinie Dalton

They're baaaack! The Addams Family TV's most frightfully funny family returns for more creepy capers and hair-raising hilarity terrifying their neighbors and delighting viewers like never before! The Addams Family Volume 2 features the ghoulish gang in fine form: Gomez runs for mayor Lurch becomes a pop star Uncle Fester turns Pugsley into a chimp and Cousin It loses his hair! And that's just the beginning! So turn down the lights and prepare yourself for the ghastly giddiness of The Addams Family. They really are a scream!Disc 1 Side A:Thing is MissingCrisis in the Addams FamilyLurch and His HarpsichordMorticia the BreadwinnerDisc 1 Side B:The Addams Family and the SpacemanMy Son the ChimpMorticia's Favorite CharityProgress and the Addams FamilyDisc 2 Side A:Uncle Fester's ToupeeCousin Itt and the Vocational CounselorLurch the Teeage IdolThe Winning of Morticia AddamsDisc 2 Side B:My Fair Cousin IttMorticia's Romance Part 1Morticia's Romance Part 2Morticia Meets RoyaltyDisc 3 Side A:Gomez the People's ChoiceCousin Itt's ProblemHolloween Addams StyleMorticia the WriterDisc 3 Side B:Morticia the SculptressSpecial Features TBDSystem Requirements:Running Time: 546 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 027616067913 Manufacturer No: M106791

Sherlock Holmes - The Hound of the Baskervilles

Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce star in this 1939 adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's frequently filmed novel, and the result is one of the most atmospheric and purely enjoyable versions of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Except for minor changes, the script is true to Doyle's enthralling mystery about a centuries-long curse against heirs to the Baskerville estate, situated within the haunting and deadly Dartmoor in the southwest of England. With the arrival of a new master, Canadian Henry Baskerville (Richard Greene), Sherlock Holmes (Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Bruce) are called upon to solve the strange case of the "gigantic hound" that may be readying to savage the poor fellow. Wonderful sets, crisp performances, and Rathbone's accessible but no-nonsense take on the Great Detective make this a real delight. Typical of the 20th Century Fox Holmes pictures, there's an in-joke, a final line of censor-defying dialogue alluding to Holmes's little problem with cocaine. --Tom Keogh

The Hound Of The Baskervilles

The most celebrated tale of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's canon, `The Hound of the Baskervilles' is set in the Victorian Age and was originally released by Twentieth Century-Fox in 1939. It is the first of fourteen Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.

When Sir Charles Baskerville is killed outside of Baskerville Hall, his good friend Dr. Mortimer (Lionel Atwill) fears that the curse of the Baskervilles has struck once again. Mortimer enlists the help of Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone), before yet another Baskerville can succumb to the evil legend.

Sir Henry Baskerville (Richard Greene) arrives in London to claim his inheritance. Mortimer takes Sir Henry to 221b Baker Street and expresses his fear for Sir Henry's life. Baskerville soon learns that along with the grand mansion on the moor, comes a devilish curse, a curious butler (John Carradine) and a cast of bizarre neighbors.

Holmes, pressed with "other business," sends Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) to accompany Sir Henry to the dreary moor to protect the young Baskerville from the legend of the wicked hound. Of course, with danger afoot, Sherlock Holmes may not be so far from the scene as is assumed.

Special Features
-Audio Commentary with David Stuart Davies
-Selected Theatrical Trailers
-Production Notes By Richard Valley
-Photo Gallery
Run Time - 80 minutes

Bob Hope MGM Movie Legends Collection (Alias Jesse James/Boy, Did I Get the Wrong Number/The Facts of Life/I'll Take Sweden/The Princess and the Pirate/The Road to Hong Kong/They've Got Me Covered)

Give the gift of laughter this holiday season with MGM Movie Legends Gift Set featuring America's favorite entertainer... Bob Hope!Disc 1: Alias Jesse James WPDisc 2: Boy Do I Have The Wrong Number WPDisc 3: The Facts of Life WPDisc 4: I'll Take Sweden WSDisc 5: Princess and The Pirate P&SDisc 6: Road to Hong Kong WSDisc 7: They've Got Me Covered P&SSystem Requirements:Running Time: 671 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/CLASSICS Rating: NR UPC: 027616096838 Manufacturer No: M109683

Bob Hope had a gift: He could be lecherous, cowardly, squirrelly, gullible, and dimwitted, yet somehow make it all endearing. At his best, the result was wonderful comedy--at his worst, the result was belabored schtick. The Bob Hope MGM Movie Legends Collection has a little of both ends of the spectrum. The most "classic" Bob Hope picture in this set is Alias Jesse James, in which Hope plays an insurance salesman who, after selling an expensive policy to the famous outlaw, then has to go West and protect him so his beneficiary can't collect. The hapless fool rises to heroic heights by accident and mistaken identity; it's Hope's favorite storyline and he clearly enjoys himself. A host of Western stars--from James Arness (Gunsmoke) to Gary Cooper (High Noon) make cameo appearances. The Road to Hong Kong is the last Hope & Crosby Road to movie, and while the formula (preposterous plot, good-looking gal, and lots of jokes about being in a movie) is wearing thin, there are still plenty of pleasures to be had. The duo play con men who find themselves in possession of a secret rocket fuel formula after Hope loses his memory, which leads them into the clutches of James-Bond-style megalomaniac (Robert Morley, The Loved One). Dorothy Lamour appears, but it's pretty much an extended cameo; a young Joan Collins provides most of the eye-candy. The mid-60s sex farce Boy, Did I Get Wrong Number! doesn't have much to offer. Elke Sommer plays a starlet weary of always being naked in a bubble bath (naturally, this movie misses no opportunity to put her naked in a bubble bath); when she runs away, she crosses the path of flop real estate agent Hope, who ends up accused of her murder. Hope puts hardly a smidge of effort into his usual stream of one-liners; most of the movie's energy comes from Phyllis Diller, who approaches her gags like a heavyweight boxer, putting her full body into every one. I'll Take Sweden is a pleasant surprise; what initially seems like a typical teen exploitation movie starring Frankie Avalon and Tuesday Weld, with Hope along as Weld's befuddled father, turns into a sly cross-culture satire when Hope takes his daughter to Sweden so she won't marry Avalon--only to discover the European morals may pose a greater threat to her virtue than bohemian hijinx. The result is like a pop version of Henry James, peppered with zippy musical numbers. But the true gem of this collection is The Facts of Life. Hope and Lucille Ball are married to other people; they've known each other a long time and never liked each other, but when a trip to Mexico forces them together, they fall in love. This middle-aged love story is a comedy, but shot through with a bittersweet awareness of the compromises of life. Hope and Ball are both superb, giving their comic skills an yearning melancholy that perfectly expresses the Academy-Award-nominated screenplay. Not to be missed. --Bret Fetzer

The Princess and the Pirate

The legendary Bob Hope takes to the high seas in this hilarious Oscar®-nominated* romantic comedy co-starring Virginia Mayo Walter Slezak Walter Brennan and Victor McLaglen!Sylvester the Great (Hope) is a 17th-century entertainer with an act so atrocious he's exiled from England. Aboard a ship bound for America he finds himself falling for the beautiful Princess Margaret (Mayo) a woman uninterested in love not to mention his lousy one-liners. But when an evil band of pirates attacks the ship and captures the princess her only hope is the cowardly comedian. Can Sylvester stop cracking jokes and muster the courage to rescue his royal love? In other words will he and Margaret end up walking down the aisle or walking the plank?System Requirements: Runnning Time 94 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 027616923493 Manufacturer No: 1008318

Bob Hope is in top form in this Technicolor parody of pirate pictures, doing his best vaudeville shtick as an inept performer trying to save princess Virginia Mayo from the evil clutches of governor Walter Slezak and pirate Victor McLaglen. It's all ridiculous fun, of course, but if you're a fan of Hope, you never tire of his self-effacing gags and double-entendres. His out-of-place show biz jabs were always clever, and they're all the funnier in this period setting--particularly the Bing Crosby jokes. But Walter Brennan nearly steals the film as a wacky pirate scheming to steal buried treasure, and tattooing the map on Hope's chest. Yet the two best routines are when Hope tries to conceal his chest while taking a bath with Slezak, and when he tries to impersonate McLaglen as "the Hook." --Bill Desowitz

Bob Hope Tribute Collection - Monsieur Beaucaire / Where There's Life Double Feature

No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: NR
Release Date: 1-APR-2003
Media Type: DVD

Wagon Train

Bob Hope Tribute Collection - Sorrowful Jones / The Paleface Double Feature

The Lemon Drop Kid

Bob Hope plays a small-time con artist with a fondness for lemon candy in this film based on a Damon Runyon story. When the Lemon Drop Kid accidentally cheats gangster Moose Moran (Fred Clark) out of his track winnings, the Kid promises to repay Moose the money by Christmas. Creating a fake charity for "Apple Annie" Nellie Thursday, the Kid tricks his gang into donning Santa suits and "collecting dough for old dolls" like Nellie who have nowhere to live. Radio personality Marilyn Maxwell assists as the Kid's girlfriend, while William Frawley and Jay C. Flippen play the lovable, gruff crooks that fall for the Kid's Santa scam.

Hope is great as the fast-talking sharpster, and the comical gangsters are well worth the price of admission. Music by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston (including the classic Christmas song "Silver Bells") makes The Lemon Drop Kid that much sweeter. --Mark Savary