Musical

The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935), Rascals (1938), & High School (1940)

Posted by Kristen on May 16, 2013

Posted in: 1930s, 1940s, Comedy, Drama, Family, Musical, Romance. Leave a Comment

The final three films in the Four Days with Jane series show the good, the bad, and the ugly! High School and Rascals are Jane at her madcap best, with the edge going to the latter. The final one, The Farmer Takes a Wife, is a Jane Withers film in name only as the movie is really a leading vehicle for Janet Gaynor and Henry Fonda. Unfortunately, this was the worst of the bunch and could have benefited from being released separately. Overall, one downright bad movie is fine in a set of seven with the remaining six worth watching!

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Little Miss Nobody (1936) & Paddy O’Day (1935)

Posted by Kristen on May 14, 2013

Posted in: 1930s, Comedy, Family, Musical, Romance. Leave a Comment

The next four days will be devoted to the films of actress Jane Withers. Why, do you ask? A) Because I got a mess of her movies that I want to review and B) because the reviews lead up to my full interview with the star. (I feel pretty proud to have nabbed an interview at all). Since her movies generally run an hour or so, and because the Fox Archive DVDs lack any bonus content, I’ll be doubling up on reviews. The first two movies spotlight Withers at her youngest, and poise her as a tangible Shirley Temple substitute (of which Withers said she never wanted to be). Let’s kick off Four Days with Jane – I just came up with that – with Little Miss Nobody and Paddy O’Day.

Roxie Hart (1942)

Posted by Kristen on May 8, 2013

Posted in: 1940s, Biopic, Comedy, Crime, Musical, TCM Top Twelve. 3 comments

The story of the “cute little jazz killer” who showed that murder and sin can easily be forgiven if you have a pretty face has been told in several stories, most memorably in the 2002 Best Picture winner, Chicago. Roxie Hart is a less glamorous version of the same story – and it’s fun to see how much of this film was lifted and recycled into the 2002 adaptation – that’s anchored by a high-flautin’ performance by Ginger Rogers. It’s worth watching back-to-back with the musical to see how a true impresario of the song and dance story did it first!

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Posted by Kristen on May 6, 2013

Posted in: 1940s, Family, Musical, Romance. 19 comments

**This is my contribution to the Mary Astor blogathon. You can see the rest of the contributions over at Silver Screenings or Tales of the Easily Distracted

Meet Me in St. Louis came highly recommended to me due to its place as a musical classic, and because it’s got the downright angelic Margaret O’Brien who I praised heavily in my Christmas review of Little Women. So, as I tend to do with blogathons, I used my contribution to cross a recommendation off my list. I won’t sugarcoat it: I have A LOT of crow to eat….read on.

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Posted by Kristen on May 4, 2013

Posted in: 1980s, Animation, Family, Fantasy, Journeys in the Disney Vault, Musical, Romance. 7 comments

We’re officially at the end of the 1980s! The Little Mermaid ushered in a string of hits, both commercially and critically, that would spark off the Disney Renaissance. From here on in, the studio was taken seriously, eventually working their way into the Academy Awards. The Little Mermaid is probably my favorite Disney movie. It’s the first one I saw, and the one I’m still able to quote incessantly, which is not to say that’s the story is perfect. The original story is downright depressing, and I won’t be inventing the wheel with my opinions against it, but seriously…the story is misogynist and a taste creepy. Regardless of all that, though, I adore this film. The perfect vocal cast, the introduction of catchy, Broadway-esque songs, and a love story supplemented by beautiful Disney animation. The Little Mermaid is a classic in my house, and always will be.