Harriet Hayes

The Muppets Take Manhattan
$8.49
A catchy, toe-tapping little ditty called "Together Again" beckons us back into the realm of Muppetdom. It starts off smooth and easy not unlike Kermit the Frog's banjo prelude to THE MUPPET MOVIE. After graduating college and performing their new big show, "Manhattan Melodies" the Muppet gang is inspired to take their show to Broadway.

But no sooner do they arrive than tough times hit hard, and the Muppets learn that putting their show on Broadway will be much, much more difficult than they had originally thought. Eventually, everyone's nerves are shot, and they part ways. During this time, Kermit gets a job washing dishes in a diner (not the ideal job of someone who wants to be a Broadway star) and works harder than ever, often failing, before he can get everyone together again (just try to suppress that theme) and get the show rolling. All throughout, there is the typical Muppet humor, hijinks, and great an memorable songs, including "I'm Always Gonna Love You" during a sequence which became the inspiration for the popular 80s Saturday morning cartoon, MUPPET BABIES.

I love this movie primarily because it teaches kids (or anyone who sees it) that nothing worthwhile comes free. The Muppets had to work extra, extra hard, endure times of not getting along, and more than once being on the verge of giving up before they saw their dream become a reality.

Probably the song from MANHATTAN that means the most to me is the soft and melodic ballad "Saying Goodbye" which the Muppets sing in the first half of the film while parting each other's company. This song is ingrained in my mind because I remember when I was a teenager watching ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, they played that song and that sequence in tribute to the passing of Jim Henson.

I wish there were a remastered soundtrack of this movie available on CD.

Shall We Dance (1937)
$2.99
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers swing their way through another wonderful film, "Shall We Dance", released in 1937.
The superior score was by George and Ira Gershwin. This is one of George's last projects, he died a few weeks after the movie opened.
This time, Fred plays Petrov, a ballet star who for some reason is posing as Russian. Ginger plays Linda, a broadway dancer. Petrov tries to persue Linda by booking himself on the same cruise she is on.
Watch Fred's spectacular solo in "Slap That Bass", in which taps in time to an art-deco engine. On the promenade deck ,Linda is walking her dog while Petrov tries to get her attention. Listen for Gershwin's wonderful backing score here. Eventually, she begins to come around.
Meanwhile, Petrov's friend Jeffrey (Edward Everett Horton in his third Astaire-Rogers film) tries to get rid of Petrov's old girlfriend, Denise, by telling her that Petrov is married to Linda. The plan backfires when Denise tattles about the marriage to gossip columnists. Worse, the gossips say that Linda is pregnant.
Saddled with unwanted publicity, the dancers decide to get married for real so they can get a public divorce. Of course they end up falling in love for real.
In a light hearted scene, Fred and Ginger sing "Let's Call The whole Thing Off" and dance to it on roller skates. It is often said that this scene required some 150 takes to get it right. The marvelous result is well worth it.
In a scene when they are alone together, Fred sings the classic "They Can't Take That Away From Me". This tune was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song. It should have won, but didn't.
The music, romance and comedy blend well together. Fine is support is provided by Horton in his usual fussy role. The scenes in which Petrov tricks Jeffrey into thinking that he is seasick, and later into believing that the boat is sinking, are very funny. Eric Blore, in his fifth F&G film, is a riot as a hotel manager. Linda's reaction to Petrov's real name (Peter P. Peters) while they are getting married is priceless.
The DVD has an OK commentary track, a new "making of" short, a
musical short subject, and an amusing cartoon, "Toy Town Hall".
You can seldom go wrong with an Astaire-Rogers musical, and "Shall We Dance" is one of their most enjoyable.

The Muppets Take Manhattan
$2.99
A catchy, toe-tapping little ditty called "Together Again" beckons us back into the realm of Muppetdom. It starts off smooth and easy not unlike Kermit the Frog's banjo prelude to THE MUPPET MOVIE. After graduating college and performing their new big show, "Manhattan Melodies" the Muppet gang is inspired to take their show to Broadway.

But no sooner do they arrive than tough times hit hard, and the Muppets learn that putting their show on Broadway will be much, much more difficult than they had originally thought. Eventually, everyone's nerves are shot, and they part ways. During this time, Kermit gets a job washing dishes in a diner (not the ideal job of someone who wants to be a Broadway star) and works harder than ever, often failing, before he can get everyone together again (just try to suppress that theme) and get the show rolling. All throughout, there is the typical Muppet humor, hijinks, and great an memorable songs, including "I'm Always Gonna Love You" during a sequence which became the inspiration for the popular 80s Saturday morning cartoon, MUPPET BABIES.

I love this movie primarily because it teaches kids (or anyone who sees it) that nothing worthwhile comes free. The Muppets had to work extra, extra hard, endure times of not getting along, and more than once being on the verge of giving up before they saw their dream become a reality.

Probably the song from MANHATTAN that means the most to me is the soft and melodic ballad "Saying Goodbye" which the Muppets sing in the first half of the film while parting each other's company. This song is ingrained in my mind because I remember when I was a teenager watching ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, they played that song and that sequence in tribute to the passing of Jim Henson.

I wish there were a remastered soundtrack of this movie available on CD.

Clash by Night
$19.98
OK, it's basically a soap opera set in a California cannery town, and if lesser actors were in it, it wouldn't be worth recommending. But Barbara Stanwyck and Paul Douglas are just so good as Mae Doyle, the returning local girl who didn't quite succeed, and Joe, her lonely former schoolmate, a local mensch fisherman who never left town and never quite forgot her.

Nothing really deep here. Just get into your jammies, open a box of bonbons, and
settle back happily to see Stanwyck, Douglas, Ryan and Monroe do their stuff.