Product Description Beyond Tomorrow (1940, 84 minutes) When three aging businessmen decide to invite two randomly chosen strangers to dinner, a romance between two ensues. But when the three wealthy men die and return as ghosts, the young couple become targets of a good-deeds mission to escape purgatory. Digitally Remastered, Sound Enhanced.
Christmas doesn't come any more old-fashioned than in this inspired collection of vintage holiday films from the silent era. Amidst the melodramas (D.W. Griffith's 1909 "A Trap for Santa Claus") and comedies (the "amateur" detective lark "The Adventure of the Wrong Santa Claus") are some delicious Christmas treats. The 1925 "Santa Claus" combines magical images of Santa's workshop elves with thrilling documentary footage of icy Alaskan landscapes and herds of wild arctic creatures, and the 1910 "A Christmas Carol" condenses the Dickens classic into 10 minutes by layering all the ghosts and memories into one brief but visually imaginative scene. The delightful "A Winter Straw Ride" (1906) transforms into a snowball free-for-all to celebrate the giddy antics of adults reverting to childhood innocence. Al Kryszak's new, melancholy score for strings and harp is often lovely but out of place amidst the cheer and holiday celebration of the films. --Sean Axmaker
A collection of enchanting silent films, "A Christmas Past" offers a nostalgic peek into the Yuletide pleasures of the early 1900s. Evoking the Victorian charm of Currier and Ives prints, these picturesque comedies and tender dramas were produced as cinematic Christmas cards offered to moviegoers of the silent film era. Includes D.W. Griffith's "A Trap For Santa" (1909, 16 min.); the Edison Studio's "A Winter Straw Ride" (1906, 7 min.), "A Christmas Accident" (1912, 15 min.), "The Adventures of the Wrong Santa Claus" (1914, 14 min.), "Santa Claus Vs. Cupid" (1915, 16 min.), "A Christmas Carol" (1910, 10 min.), and "The Night Before Christmas (1905, 9 min.); plus "A Holiday Pageant At Home" (1901, 5 min.) and "Santa Claus" (1925, 29 min.). Features an original score by Al Kryszak.
In Boys Town (1938), Spencer Tracy won an Oscar for his portrayal of Father Flanagan, who dedicates himself to helping juvenile delinquents go straight. Mickey Rooney plays one of the tougher kids, figuring out early on that Flanagan is nobody's fool. Warmhearted and inspiring, the film's inevitable sentimentality is nicely cut by Tracy's performance and a smart script by Eleanore Griffin and Dore Schary (who also won Oscars). A good film for all ages, directed by Norman Taurog (Adventures of Tom Sawyer). Also included is the minor sequel, Men of Boys Town (1941), also starring Tracy and Rooney.
The 1938 MGM version of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol is not the most rewarding of the various adaptations (that honor goes to Biran Desmond Hurst's 1951 film, starring Alistair Sim), but it has a strong if narrow performance by Reginald Owen as the miser Ebenezer Scrooge. Directed by Edward L. Marin, the movie is stiffer and less imaginative than it ought to be, but there are some compensations in the supporting cast, including Leo G. Carroll, and the film debut of little June Lockhart.
Christmas in Connecticut is a holiday film that plays 365 days of the year. Barbara Stanwyck gives a brilliant, sardonic performance as Elizabeth Lane, a columnist for Smart Housekeeping magazine, whose enticing descriptions of the exquisite meals she prepares for her husband and baby on their bucolic Connecticut farm earns her fame as "America's Best Cook." A writer, she is; a cook, she is not. As she types the words, "From my living room window, as I write, the good cedar logs cracking on the fire..." the view is of clothes flapping on the line outside her bachelorette Manhattan apartment. Cut to Jefferson Jones, a sailor adrift at sea for weeks after his destroyer is torpedoed. After his rescue, a marriage-minded nurse thinks she might nudge Jones to the altar if he could only be included in America's ultimate Christmas--the one to be held at the Lane family farm in Connecticut. Now, all Lane has to do is come up with a farm. And a husband. And let's not forget the baby. Christmas in Connecticut is classic screwball entertainment of the best kind, with its on-target skewering of social convention and house-of-cards-about-to-tumble tension: a perfect farcical vision of domestic blitz.
One of the more upbeat and accessible films by acclaimed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. Written by Bergman, this autobiographical story follows the lives of two children during one tumultuous year. After the death of the children's beloved father, a local theater owner, their mother marries a strict clergyman. Their new life is cold and ascetic, especially when compared to the unfettered and impassioned life they knew with their father. Most of the story is seen through the eyes of the little boy and is often told in dreamlike sequences. Colorful, insightful, and optimistic, this is far less grim than most of Bergman's work. It was awarded four of the six Oscars for which it was nominated, including Best Foreign Language Film. Though this was announced as his last film, Bergman continued to work into the late 1990s, though mostly for Swedish television. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Through the wide eyes of ten-year-old Alexander (Bertil Guve), we witness the great delights and conflicts of the Ekdahl family—a sprawling, convivial bourgeois clan living in turn-of-the-century Sweden. Intended as Ingmar Bergman’s swan song, Fanny and Alexander (Fanny och Alexander) is the legendary filmmaker’s warmest and most autobiographical film, a triumph that combines his trademark melancholy and emotional rigor with immense joyfulness and sensuality.
It is the Christmas season on earth. The Martian children are in a funk and will not eat their chocolate cake pills. Kimar (Leonard Hicks) a concerned father and a leader of the council calls up on the old man of the cave. His diagnosis is that Mars Needs a Santa; so in the interest of the children of Mars Kimar sets out to pilfer Santa (John Call.) Opposed to this attempted attitude change on a planetary scale is the curmudgeon Voldar (Vincent Beck). You can not miss Voldar because he looks like a green Groucho Marks. To add to the pathos a couple of pint size hostages are also taken, Billy (Victor Stiles) and Betty (Donna Conforti).
Is this the end of Christmas as we know it? What is Voldar's evil plan? Are Billy & Betty doomed to drift around in space, or be captives of Mars forever?
Or is it just possible that Santa Claus Conquers the Martians?
# Genres: Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi # Tagline: Blast off for Mars... with Santa and a pair of Earth kids! Blast off for Mars... with Santa and a pair of Earth kids! Science-Fun-Fiction at its height! # Plot Outline The Martians kidnap Santa because there is nobody on Mars to give their children presents. # Plot Synopsis: Martians, upset that their children have become obsessed with TV shows from Earth which extoll the virtues of Santa Claus, start an expedition to Earth to kidnap the one and only Santa. While on Earth, they kidnap two lively children that lead the group of Martians to the North Pole and Santa. The Martians then take Santa and the two children back to Mars with them. Voldar, a particularly grumpy Martian, attempts to do away with the children and Santa before they get to Mars, but their leader Lomas stops him. When they arrive on Mars, Santa, with the help of the two Earth children and a rather simple-minded Martian lackey, overcomes the Martians by bringing fun, happiness and Christmas cheer to the children of Mars. # Plot Keywords: Animated Title Sequence | Christmas | Santa Claus | Mars | MST3K | Robot | Space | Airlock | Cult Favorite | Elf | Kidnapping | Mistaken Identity
This British production of Dickens's Christmas Carol has been eclipsed by subsequent versions, but it stands on its own as a darkly atmospheric (if sometimes regrettably brisk) telling of the beloved tale. Even with the rough quality of existing prints, this Scrooge has a visual intensity that approaches the bold compositions of German expressionism. And in its central role it has a mostly forgotten star: Sir Seymour Hicks, one of the era's celebrated English stage actors. With his gnarled face and flyaway hair, Hicks looks every inch the mean old misanthrope, and his cruelty has a realistic quality missing in some of the more stylized interpreters of the role. Hicks had played Scrooge many times on stage (and before in silent film), and he gets the tenor of every "Humbug!" just right. As a bandy-legged Bob Cratchit, Donald Calthorp is a perfect Victorian illustration come to grinning life. --Robert Horton
Restored at last to its full length, this striking adaptation of Charles Dickens' holiday classic is notable not only for its beautiful story but also for superb performances, a vigorous script, excellent pacing, persuasive settings, costumes which utterly capture 1843 London, and impressive moving-camera photography with atmospheric lighting reminiscent of German expressionist cinema. Sir Seymour Hicks, an age-appropriate Scrooge, first played the role on screen in 1913 and delivers a first-class performance; he also co-authored the screenplay and inhabits Scrooge thoroughly, subtly and radiantly. The other characters are secondary but all impeccable, including Donald Calthrop (familiar from his roles in several of Alfred Hitchcock's British films), Maurice Evans, and rotund Oscar Asche as the unforgettably fruity Ghost of Christmas Present. Director Henry Edwards was honored for his work with a prize at the 1935 Venice Film Festival; also note the gifted hand of production supervisor John Brahm, a veteran of German theater and cinema and later director of other fine films including the similarly atmospheric "The Lodger." A wonderful film that would have made Charles Dickens proud!
Martian children have become unhappy watching Earth television programs showing Christmas cheer among humans. The wise old Martian Chochem tells the adults that Mars needs Santa Claus to bring fun and jow to their children. A group of Martians arrives at the North Pole and kidnaps Santa, but the angry Martian Voldar wants to get rid of him instead. With the help of two Earth children and the clumsy Martian Dropo, Santa defeats Voldar and brings happiness to Mars!
his is Roy at his heroic and charming best. Add the very versatile Jack Holt in one of his final films, Rocky Lane, Gordon Jones, and some of the great movie cowboy white and black hats of the 30's and 40's, along with Foy Willing and Riders of the Purple Sage for music, and you have plenty of action, comedy and music to go along with an OK plot. Some of the Tru-Color shots of the scenery are spectacular. Rex once told me he flew in from a road-tour and worked on the film for two days and flew back to continue his road show, and enjoyed working with Roy, one of his dearest friends. This is one of the better 'oaters' with plenty of action, music, and 'surprise' guest stars. A 'must' for fans of Roy, Rex, Rocky, Jack, and the genre!
General George Armstrong Custer has been portrayed as everything from a vain but ultimately honorable hero (Errol Flynn in They Died with Their Boots On) to an insane, pompous incompetent (Richard Mulligan in the biting Little Big Man), but few have attempted an ambitious look at the man in all his contradictions. Robert Siodmak's Custer of the West, his final American production, attempts the task with fine results, portraying the career soldier as a pragmatist, a disciplinarian with a bullying streak, a loner, and ultimately an Old World romantic in the modern age. Robert Shaw gives the role a regal bearing (though his continental accent keeps drifting in) and a sense of dignity, depicting a man who ironically identifies more with the Indians than with the U.S. Army. Jeffrey Hunter and Ty Hardin costar as his battling junior officers and Robert Ryan is memorable in a brief appearance as a gold-mining deserter. Shooting in handsome widescreen and vivid Technicolor, Siodmak makes his outdoor settings come alive and nimbly handles the many action scenes, most notably a chase that sends an escaping soldier whooshing down a log water chute like a Disney ride. Siodmak's sweeping visuals deliver both grand images and ironic counterpoint, but ultimately Custer of the West eschews the heroism of Hollywood adventures for a portrait of the corrupt state of the American military and one man's hopeless fight against it. --Sean Axmaker
From decorated war hero to doomed commander, General George Armstrong Custer is brilliantly portrayed by Robert Shaw (Jaws, The Sting) in this stunning, "giant spectacle of a film" (Motion Picture Herald). With an all-star cast that includes Jeffrey Hunter and Robert Ryan, thisepic adventure vividly chronicles the rise and fall of this larger-than-life legend! Afterhis triumphs in the Civil War, General Custer becomes one of the most renowned military figures of his time. But he infuriates as many people as he impresses never more so than in the days leading upto the Battle of Little Bighorn, where his sense of pride overshadows his dedication to duty with disastrous consequences.
* In the show's early episodes, the writers would typically have the Cartwrights being hostile to visitors to their property. Lorne Greene objected to this pointing out that with the Ponderosa being as large as it is, the Cartwrights would be an important business interest in the community. Thus visitors would naturally come for economic and political reasons as well as social ones and the Cartwrights would logically welcome them as such. The producers agreed and altered the premise of the characters accordingly. * During the first season of the show, the guest stars were paid far more than the stars of the show because the producers didn't think that the stars were well-known enough to pull in viewers. * When Dan Blocker died unexpectedly during the final season, it was decided to have Hoss die too by having him killed in an accident. * When Pernell Roberts left the show, his character Adam was written off by having him move to Australia. * Adam's mother was from Boston, Hoss's from Sweden and Little Joe's was from New Orleans. * The character 'Ben Cartwright' was ranked #2 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" (20 June 2004 issue). * Ben was a major in the United States Army. * Although it got off to a rough start, by 1961 it was the #1 show on TV. * Most viewers have only heard the famous theme song by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans played as an instrumental. The theme song actually had lyrics and there is footage of the lead actors singing those lyrics. * According to the 1973 book "Marilyn Beck's Hollywood", when Pernell Roberts told Lorne Greene he was leaving the series because he wanted to challenge himself as an actor, Greene told him to stick to it as he would be so rich by the end of the run he could hire Tennessee Williams himself to write a play for him. Roberts' career went into a tailspin that lasted over a decade after he left the show. Co-star Michael Landon later said of Roberts' departure that they simply took a leaf out of the dining room table and split the money three rather than four ways. While the post "Bonanza" Roberts struggled (until later catching on with Trapper John, M.D., Greene, Landon and Dan Blocker became very wealthy from their income from the show, which all three wisely invested. * The character Ben Cartwright is a New Englander who had been a seaman. Before setting out West with his young son Adam, the widower Ben had been a ship's chandler, running a shop supplying gear to merchant vessels. (This past is referred to in several episodes, but most significantly, "Elizabeth, My Love" broadcast during the second season on May 27, 1961, when an older Ben is remembering Adam's late mother, his first wife.) * Lorne Green, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon sang a lyric version of this famous instrumental theme for the pilot, but it never aired. * During the filming of one episode, Lorne Greene was required to jump off a small ledge into a lake five feet below. Michael Landon later recalled that when Greene did the stunt, he jumped into the water feet first and went completely under, but his hair piece came off and floated on the surface of the lake. Landon and the rest of the crew watched to see what would happen. After a short while, Greene's hand shot up out of the water, grabbed the hair piece, and pulled it down. Greene emerged from the lake, wearing his hair piece slightly askew. He walked nonchalantly past the snickering crew, and went into his trailer without saying a word. * This was the first US television show to have all its episodes filmed in color.
Yup! fueding brothers - I don't think they even understand why. Willow Creek - a little town in Alaska that is losing its Christmas spirit.
A teenage boy feeling rejected by his father [Tom Wopat] and not knowing how to express himself. Then we have Pete's ex-girlfriend and Ray's estranged wife - talk about a mix-up. Complete with flash-backs to bring us up-to-date.
Their father's partner asks the men to drive a semitruck load of christmas gifts north to Alaska - to put their fueding aside for this run. Of course, Ray [John Schneider] takes a little side trip to Reno much to his nephews glee. Yup! trouble again.
Of prime importance is the lose of "Christmas Spirit" both in the town of Willow Creek and by the brothers.
The slide of the semi into a snow bank was sure worth it.
How it comes back into their lives is the wonderful point of the story, an amazingly touching. # Genres: Family, Drama # Plot Synopsis: Willow Creek, Alaska, is going through a depression because the local cannery has shut down putting many of the residents out of work. Ray and Pete are truck-driving brothers, different as day and night, who are hired by an old friend to bring Christmas presents and one huge surprise from sunny California up to his home town. Along the way, the brothers and Pete's son Michael argue and get stuck in a blizzard, but finally reconcile with each other. # Plot Keywords: Baby | Brother | Christmas | Fatherhood | Feud | Holiday | Pregnancy | Truck Driver | Trucking
You do NOT have to wait until Christmas to open this gift. Frank Capra's wonderful film of 1946, may be enjoyed anytime of the year. "It's A Wonderful Life" is THE feel good movie of the all time.It should be watched anytime you need a lift!(Okay, Okay , you can watch it at Christmas time too!).
ASC(Angel Second Class), Clarence Oddbody needs to get his wings.George Bailey is desperately in need of an Angel. So the powers up above arrange a meeting. It's a story made in heaven.
Clarence gets to view George Bailey's life from the time he was a young boy until the present, when George is having so many problems he thinks he would be better off if he'd never been born (it may be safe to say we have all had days like that!). We watch as George touches the lives of so many from boyhood to adulthood. He saves his brother's life,he stops his boss(a druggist) from making a fatal mistake, he saves the family business, "The Building and Loan Assoc" from the hands of the Scroogelike Mr. Potter, is friend and mentor to so many, and although never gets to follow his dreams of travel, settles down with the girl next door in his town, "Bedford Falls".
But things start going amiss for poor George,an accidental misplacement of a large sum of money, and the auditor showing up just at the wrong time, causes George to face loosing everything he THINKS is important. He's on the bridge, ready to pack it all in when his guardian angel Clarence shows up in the nick of time.Clarence shows George what life would REALLY be like if he was never born. It's not good! George must realize that "It's A Wonderful Life" before he can exist again.
Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey. He is just tremendous in this role. We see the full range of his talents as he runs the course of going from carefree, to distraught, to bitter and finally elated with life as he discovers Zuzu's petals have reappeared in his pocket.The petals that disappeared from his pocket when he disappeared from existence. Henry Travers is Clarence and there has never been a more cherubic angel than he. Donna Reed as Mary(George's wife) is exceptional at making a wonderful life for George and looking great doing it. And Lionel Barrymore is the mean Mr. Potter who we love to hate. There are so many other famous faces to look for that do such a superb job, here are a few...the great character actor Thomas Mitchell is the forgetful "Uncle Billy", Lillian Randolph is "Annie", the housekeeper, Beulah Bondi as Mrs. Bailey, Ellen Corby, the lady who only wants $17.50, Gloria Grahame is Violet and don't miss Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, mischievous as ever at the pool scene.
So it's clear as a bell(oh..I think an Angel just got his wings!)if you're feeling a little down, watch this movie and like Zuzu's petals, your smile will reappear.
"White Christmas"...The film is a treasure. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye,Rosemary Clooney,and Vera-Ellen are the stars of this 1954 musical with songs by Irving Berlin that you'll want to sing along with and keep humming long after the film has ended. Directed by Michael Curtiz it's a feel good film that although takes place during the Christmas season, is another one that you can pull out and watch anytime of the year.
Bing and Danny were Army buddies, now a successful song and dance team and are out to help their favorite old retired General(Dean Jagger),who is having trouble coping with retirement. The General is now running a country inn in Vermont, but the big problem is there is no snow to bring up the tourists. Bing and Danny to the rescue, as they turn the inn into a showcase of talent, and fall for the Haines sisters along the way. Can these wonderful voices also bring the snow out of the sky?...well..you know.
This film is filled with Berlin's wonderful tunes. When Bing takes Rosemary's little hand in his and croons "Count Your Blessings" to her..well it's movie heaven. Rosemary also treats us to several numbers, Vera-Ellen does some fabulous hoofing, and Danny clowns and keeps us smiling like only Danny can. And how much fun is it watching Bing and Danny do the "Sisters" number together?...alot! Then there's the goose bump evoking, wonderfully nostalgic scene of the four of them singing "White Christmas" together with the Winter Wonderland of Vermont as a backdrop.I would be remiss if I didn't mention the wonderful character actress Mary Wicks, she's a great busy-body who causes misunderstandings, and also keep an eye out for George Chakiris and Barrie Chase.
Thanks Paramount for bringing us this great old classic holiday films on in one package.
# Plot Outline A wealthy and successful career woman gets a second chance in life when a magical wish transports her back in time eight years to when she walked away from her fiance to lead a business life in New York. # Plot Synopsis: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go... That is except in the eyes of 33-year-old Eve Stevens. She's spending Christmas Eve in a bar pounding back the cocktails. Outside, scenes of happy families and couples walking by arm in arm only deepen Eve's inner depression. A single, successful professional, Eve wonders what material success has brought her. The bar closes early forcing Eve to meander her way through the crowded cheerful streets back to her apartment. Rounding the final corner, Eve bumps into a homeless man, Brother James. As usual, Brother is ranting and raving, this time he's on about the lost holiday spirit. Brother pauses to look the tipsy Eve in the eye. He whispers to her, "wish upon the Christmas Star." Eve hands the man some coins and makes her way home. Alone, with no one and nowhere to go, Eve pulls out a photo album she hasn't touched in years. It's filled with pictures of her rural hometown. One photo in particular brings tears to Eve's eyes. It's her at 21 posing with her then-fiance, Scott. Eve walked out on Christmas Eve, twelve years ago... the night before their planned Christmas Day wedding. Feeling lonely and upset, Eve seeks solace in the darkness of the winter night. She ventures out on her balcony, where she spies the lone Christmas Star hanging high in the sky. Remembering Brother James, she makes a wish and goes to bed... Will Eve get a second chance?
Product Description This delightfully funny holiday gem tells the story of Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsly) a 1940's nine-year-old who pulls out all the stops to obtain the ultimate Christmas present.
This is a collection of tales as they are recollected by a person thinking back on their childhood one Christmas. It has all the exudations with its ups and downs.
Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) spots a "Daisy Brand Red-Ryder BB" 200-shot Carbine with compass, in the window of a story and fantasizes on how to get it for Christmas. Will he succeed? And if so will he shoot his eye out?
I had one of those Davie Crocket hats when I was a kid. There were lots of other items and actions that I could relate to. However my wife likes the watering method used by Melinda Dillon (mother) around the trophy. And she likes the way the mother conserved electricity by turning it off. I could see her snickering through the corner of my eye. I am not sure I should have bought this one. It may prove fatal to any window plans.
There was a remake of "A Christmas Story" floating around but it lacks a lot of the originality of this one.
[DVD] Beyond Tomorrow (1940) by Movie Classics
