RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN COLLECTION

6 great and good musicals from years gone by!! These
are all special DVD collections with 2 disc, all of
them packed with extras!!

STATE FAIR(1945)/(1962):

STATE FAIR(1945):

This is just about what you'd expect from it, a sweet,
1940s view of life in rural America! Filled with songs,
dance and romance, where two country bumpkins go to a
state fair and meet two worldly people who sweep them
off their feet!! Along the way there's a ring toss, a
pig contest and a pickle and mincemeat cookoff! This is
in no way of the likes of some of the other movies in
this set, but still a fun little picture with one really
great song, It Might As Well Be Spring! If you're down
and looking for a no brain pick-me-up, this'll do just
fine! B+

From another reviewer at IMDb:

The simpleness, and wholesomeness of this film makes
it a treat to watch. The music and songs make it
even more enjoyable, and the beauty of Jeanne
Crain in this film would make your eyes water. A
rare film with Dick Haymes who was always underrated
as a singer. I feel lucky to have a VHS copy of this
film.- George Meara (gmeara@aol.com) from East Patchogue, NY

So, in answer to the reviewer below, I think I
know why!!! This is a real lackluster remake of
the 1945 movie! Pat Boone is really bland! Pamela
Tiffin is ok, but not great! Bobby Darin is pretty
good but not really convincing as a womanizer! And
what can be said about Ann-Margaret? She's just not
a good actress, singer or dancer!! Pat and her together
look about as convincing as a horse with a duck!!

Also in this is Jim Lowe(singer of the great song
"Green Door"), who is heard but not seen in his only
movie credit(he does the voice of the big statue
called Big Tex), the great Wally Cox(Mr. Peepers,
Underdog and several Disney movies including The
One And Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, The
Boatnicks & The Barefoot Executive) and another
Disney alum, Robert Foulk(Pete's Dragon, The Love
Bug as well as being in Ocean's 11 & Robin & The
Seven Hoods[both with the Rat Pack])!!!

The least entry in this set other than Carousel! C+

From another reviewer at IMDb:

Why the critics hate this film so much is beyond me.
I found it to be a decent remake of the 1945 motion
picture. This movie stars Tom Ewell, Alice Faye, Pat
Boone; in great singing voice, Bobby Darin, the fantastic
Ann-Margret and Pamela Tiffin. The makers up-dated
the story to Texas and made changes here and there.
I like the 1945 version better, but that doesn't make
this film any less enjoyable to watch. The critics go on
and on how they hate this movie. Why? What is so bad
about it? The singing is great as are the production
values. If you want to see a truly horrible remake look
no further than the T.V. version of SOUTH PACIFIC or
THE MUSIC MAN.

Don't listen to the critics and just watch and enjoy this
wonderful version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's STATE
FAIR. - trylontheatre1

One of the great musicals of years gone by! The story
is far from Earth shattering, but the actors seem to
be really having fun in this!! Basic story, I think,
is about girls waiting for their guys to ask them to
marry them!! Although there's a sub-story about one
of the farmhands getting, well, out of hand!! This
is the only real tension in the movie!

This has Shirley Jones in her screen debut, along
with Eddie Albert(Green Acres fame) & Gordon MacRae
(Carousel, and had his own TV show for a short time)!

Some really good music here: The title song, Oh What
A Beautiful Morning, Surrey With A Fringe On Top, Kansas
City(not the Wilbert Harrison song), I Can't Say No &
People Will Say We're In Love! While The Farmer And
The Cowman isn't as well known, it's still a fun number!!

The only real part of this that's a little long and
the movie could've done without was the dream sequence!

Again, not Earth-shattering, but still a fun little
movie worth a watch every now-and-then!! A-

From IMDb.com:

There's little to dislike about this musical, which
is a colourful and heart-felt western charting a double
romance and set in a world of cowboys, cattle-ranchers
and sinister ranch-hands. I found it very similar in
look and tone to the similar SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN
BROTHERS (which has the edge, I think) with some scenes,
such as the bust-up halfway through, virtually identical.

The notable thing about OKLAHOMA! is that it really
picks up in the second half. The first half is a little
slow, with the viewer struggling to put the pieces
together to work everything out. In the second half,
everything starts slotting into place, and it all gets
very traditional and entertaining.

The song-and-dance numbers are fine, and the characters
are all rather interesting. I found that the male leads
weren't quite as memorable as the likes of Gene Kelly
or Howard Keel in other musicals, but Gloria Grahame and
Shirley Jones ably make up for this. Watch out for a fun
little turn from Rod Steiger as the dastardly
villain. - Leofwine_draca

A man who's died is given the opportunity to go
back to Earth to help out his family! This is about
an abusive brute that dies and comes back(only at
the very end of the show) to try to help out his
family!

Some pretty decent music here, including If I Loved
You, You'll Never Walk Alone & June Is Busting Out
All Over!

Another musical with Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones,
with Richard Deacon(The Dick Van Dyke Show, Abbott And
Costello Meet The Mummy, The Birds, Leave It To Beaver,
and several Disney productions including That Darn Cat,
The Gnome-Mobile, Blackbeard's Ghost, Annette & The One
And Only, Genuine, Original Family Band) here also!

This is not a very enjoyable movie, but I stuck it out
to the end! It wasn't easy! A movie that I will never
watch again!!! C+(Only for the music and
a couple of the dance scenes!)

From IMDb.com:

This is the story of a man who did nothing while on earth.
After he dies, he gets a chance to have some time back in
the world. While there, he falls in love and begins to make
a difference. He is beset by the reality of what he wasted.
When the songs come, they show us the longing and the
strength of faith. Of course, this is the source of the song
"You'll Never Walk Alone" and "If I Loved You." Because it
didn't have broad appeal, this movie was never given its
due. As a young child, I hated musicals, but when i saw this
I began to cry. The sadness of a life wasted is overwhelmed
by the "fact" that there is something better if we wait.
Recently, Orchestras have begun to have sing a longs in
celebration of this work. - Hitchcoc

A semi-biographical musical influenced by the book written
by THE Anna of this tale! Though there are many areas that,
according to some historians, aren't based on fact!
Be that as it may, this is an absolutely wonderful movie
with some of the best scenery of any movie I've ever watched,
filled with much humor, and this surely must be the crowning
acheivement of Yul Brynner, as he plays this perfectly! The
only drawback to this is that several of the songs are not
actually sung by the stars themselves but by voice-over
specialists, headed by the now famous Marni Nixon(at the
time of these musicals, which includes musicals such as
Singin' In The Rain & Oklahoma, these voice-over specialists
were not credited! Only recently have these talented people
begun to have the recognition that they truly desrve)!

Songs include I Whistle A Happy Tune, Hello Young Lovers,
Getting To Know You & Shall We Dance!

If for nothing but the visuals here, this is a must watch!!
Be forwarned, this does not have a happy ending! A+

From IMDb.com:

I went through a period in my life when I didn't appreciate
Yul Brynner as a performer, and obviously that would not
have been a good time to sample "The King and I", but I'm
over it now and I really enjoyed his performance in this film.
His singing voice isn't that great, but he brought so much
more to the part that it doesn't really matter. I particularly
liked the scene where his numerous children are coming
out to meet Anna; he has some nice interactions with the
smaller kids who make protocol errors, and I love the proud
way he holds up two fingers when a set of twins put in an
appearance... obviously a great achievement in his life.

At one point, though, I thought it almost felt like there were
"too many songs"... the audience is bounced from one to
another pretty quickly for a while there, and none of them
are exceptional, although they all serve to advance the plot
(and the problem I have with some musicals is that the songs
don't do much for the story-line). The good songs, however,
are VERY good. And the classic "Shall We Dance", with Anna
and the King dancing round and round the ballroom... just
wow. That must have been gorgeous on a big theater screen.

Definitely worth a viewing for classic film and classic musical
fans. Not really dated as some 50's movies are, because it's
a period piece and it was already dated when it was
filmed. - irishm

Honestly, a very simple movie about love and war in
the 1940s, starring Rossano Brazzi and Mitzi Gaynor,
with Ray Walston(My Favorite Martian), France Nuyen
(Star Trek: TOS episode "Elan Of Troyius" as the lead
character, Elan along with several other guest starring
roles on various TV shows), Jack Eli(Tarzan himself), Doug
McClure(Checkmate, The Virginian, Maverick[movie] & several
"B" sci-fi movies such as The People That Time Forgot &
The Land That Time Forgot) and Jack Mullaney(The Absent
Minded Professor & several Elvis movies including Tickle
Me and Spinout) co-starring! This has some of the most
beautiful scenery in any movie at any time, along with
just the right amount of humor and a sweet but tragic
love story! And really an amazingly thoughtful subject
that, for it's time, was completely kept hush-hush(bigotry)!!

Some really great, unforgettable music here including:
Bloody Mary, There's Nothing Like A Dame, Bali Ha'i,
I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair, Younger
Than Springtime, Happy Talk, and the very beautiful
Some Enchanted Evening!!

The only flaw in the whole movie is that for some stupid
reason the director decided to film this with a yellow haze
which does nothing but detract from the beauty of the
islands! Even the director himself admits that "This was
the biggest mistake of my career"!! Even still, this is a
movie not to miss!!! A+

From IMDb.com:

Nothing bad can be said about the music and lyrics here,
and the orchestration in the film version adds to the
greatness. My parents owned the LP of the soundtrack
and as I kid I used to sing along regularly. It's fun to
experience the overture and intermission on the DVD,
too. I can't complain about the acting, either. What a
marvelous character Bloody Mary is, and how well played.
She gets two terrific songs, as well. And Ray Walston is
grand in everything. The anti-racism message is still (alas)
applicable today and keeps the story relevant.

What keeps this from being a 10/10 star film for me is the
use of color and other filters. Geez, what was the director
thinking? In particular, his opinion that sulfurous yellow
somehow was the color of new love befuddles me. Perhaps
he was colorblind? It is weird enough that it detracts from
a great musical. The opening shots of the islands at dawn
and sunset in natural color are gorgeous, though. Too bad
it wasn't all shot like that. - zee

The BEST of this set!!

Let's face it, if you haven't seen this, or at least heard
about it and most of the songs here, you might be a
rednec - um no - you're probably somewhere between
0-20 years old, or have lived on the moon your whole life!!
Anyway, this, along with South Pacific, My Fair Lady,
Mary Poppins, and the best musical ever made - Singin'
In The Rain, are, at least in my book, the five best
musicals ever created! Admittedly, I haven't seen
EVERY musical ever made, but I have seen 90% of the
best known musicals made! Not going into detail about
this, because I feel most people know that story of
the Von Trapp family and their escape to freedom from
Austria at the beginning of the German take-over at
the start of World War II!! Suffice to say, this has
great music, great cinematography, great acting, great
actors, did I mention great music(?) and a great story,
which was taken directly from the lady Von Trapp herself,
Maria!! Even if you don't care for musicals, if you've
not seen this, WATCH IT!!!

Some of the best music in a musical ever made, including:
The Sound Of Music, Do-Re-Mi, My Favorite Things, Something
Good(Perhaps the best little known song ever made!!),
Sixteen Going On Seventeen, Edelweiss, So Long Goodbye &
Climb Ev'ry Mountain, with most of the music actually
sung by the stars themselves(the exceptions are Christopher
Plummer and Peggy Wood)!!

As several people who've reviewed this on IMDb and
Amazon have pointed out, this IS a very long movie,
but honestly it goes by so quickly without much of
a lull during the nearly three hours that it's really
not noticable!! A++

From another reviewer at IMDb:

The Sound of Music, the sound of freedom.

This classic film is filled with glorious songs and has
plenty for hopeless romantics to enjoy. The Sound
of Music also effectively works in the tension and
foreboding of the time period. Everyone in Austria
has to make a choice when the Nazis arrive. Even
the nuns in the abbey must make a choice.It's worth
discussing with older kids why this was such a tense
time and why the Von Trapps made the painful
decision to flee the country they loved. It is a movie
of catching freedom.

"The Sound of Music" has contributed to the legend
which has grown around the true life story of the
Trapp family. - Yidioo

COMPLETE LIST OF DVDs
LIST OF MOVIE DVDs
LIST OF ANIME/ANIMATION DVDs
LIST OF BOND DVDs
LIST OF DISNEY DVDs
LIST OF ELVIS DVDs
LIST OF MUSIC DVDs
LIST OF STAR TREK/STAR WARS DVDs
LIST OF SUPERHERO DVDs
LIST OF TELEVISION DVDs

TO PHOTO PAGES OF MOVIES:

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J-K
L
M
N
O
P-Q
R
S
T
U-V
W
X-Z

ANIME/ANIMATION
ANIME SUPERHERO
BOND
DISNEY
ELVIS
HOLIDAY
MUSIC
MUSICALS
OTHER
SETS #-M
SETS N-Z
STAR TREK/STAR WARS
SUPERHERO
TELEVISION A-B
TELEVISION C-D
TELEVISION E-F
TELEVISION G-H
TELEVISION I-K
TELEVISION L
TELEVISION M
TELEVISION N-O
TELEVISION P-Q
TELEVISION R
TELEVISION Gene Roddenberry
TELEVISION S
TELEVISION T
TELEVISION U-W
TELEVISION X-Z
TELEVISION STAR TREK/STAR WARS
TELEVISION SUPERHERO

Music playing is:
Music From South Pacific
Bali H'ai
By: Martin Denny