During the 1930s and 1940s, there weren't many Americans who didn't regularly welcome George Burns and Gracie Allen into their homes. Their weekly radio show was a consistent hit and made them one of the most beloved husband-and-wife comedy teams of all time.
In 1950, Burns and Allen made the transition to television, bringing with them their old fans while cultivating a new generation of followers. The TV show had a successful run of eight years. It probably would have lasted longer had Gracie not decided it was time for her to retire.Radio and television weren't the only venues that presented the duo with an opportunity to shine. Before radio, Burns and Allen had been headliners in vaudeville. And before television, there were the movies.
Burns and Allen starred in a series of successful comedy shorts during the early 1930s and then moved on to feature films at Paramount. MCA/Universal has released three of those movies starring Burns and Allen. Each is priced at $14.98.
The trio includes:
- "Six of a Kind" (1934). This one has George and Gracie joining Charlie Ruggles and Mary Boland on a cross-country vacation heading to California. Along the way they run into a pool-loving sheriff played by W.C. Fields.
- "Love in Bloom" (1935). Joe Morrison is a struggling songwriter who falls for Dixie Lee (then Mrs. Bing Crosby), and George and Gracie are on hand to move the young couple's romance along.
- "Here Comes Cookie" (1935). Gracie is the dizzy daughter of a millionaire who signs over his fortune to her. George is along to help her spend it.
MCA/Universal also is spotlighting three other films that feature Burns and Allen: "International House," with W.C. Fields; "We're Not Dressing," with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour; and "College Swing," with Bob Hope and Martha Raye.
- SPEAKING OF DER BINGLE: For a Crosby Christmas, MCA/Universal has re-released two Bing Crosby movies, "Holiday Inn" and "Going My Way," as a holiday two-pack. The suggested retail price is $22.98.
"Holiday Inn," released in 1942, is the film in which Crosby introduced Irving Berlin's "White Christmas." Among the other songs included are"Easter Parade" and "Happy Holidays."
"Going My Way," released in 1944, earned Crosby an Academy Award for his performance as the young Father O'Malley and his efforts to win the friendship of his aging superior (Barry Fiztzgerald). The song "Swinging On a Star" also picked up an Oscar.
NEW VIDEOS
JOAN RIVERS' SHOPPING FOR FITNESS - Comedienne Joan Rivers has a field day avoiding aerobics with this 50-minute potshot at exercise videos. Sample tips include how to develop biceps by balancing six shopping bags and post-mall cool downs. Unrated, 1996. ABC, $19.95.
- Max McQueen
(Cox News Service)
THE CABBAGE PATCH KIDS - I'm told the Cabbage Patch dolls are still real big with certain kids. If that's the case, then those fans of the fat-faced, plush toys will surely take to these half-hour, stop-action tapes. The Clubhouse finds Cabbage Patch girls proving they can build a treehouse as well as any Cabbage Patch boy. The New Kid has the nerdy new girl in school trying to break into cliques. You won't find more politically correct messages than on these well-made kids' tapes. Unrated, 1996. BMG, $12.98.
- Max McQueen
(Cox News Service)
THE GREAT CHASE - Big chases, small chases, fast chases, and slow chases are the focus of this look at action sequences from the silent-movie era. The narration is careless with film-history facts and often neglects to give the titles of excerpted films; and so much time is given to an edited-down version of Buster Keaton's classic "The General" that spectators would be better off with a cassette of the real thing. Still, the picture will do some good if it reminds young audiences what lively entertainments silent films could be. Not rated; Home Vision Cinema.
- David Sterritt
(Christian Science Monitor)
CRUSADE: THE LIFE OF BILLY GRAHAM - Robert Balmer narrates his documentary on the most influential evangelist in the second half of this century: Dr. Billy Graham. The 106-minute tape follows Graham's early farm life, through his religious training, his crusades and his most recent honor, the Congressional Gold Medal. Unrated, 1996. Turner, $19.98.
- Max McQueen
(Cox News Service)
SIEGFRIED & ROY: MASTERS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE - Las Vegas' master magicians are even more animated than usual in this feature-length cartoon about two illusionists who save an enchanted world from certain doom. And we don't mean the Mirage or Caesar's Palace. Set in fictitious Sarmoti, the story follows Sieg and Roy as they bring back the sparkle to a land without neon. PG, 1996. 20th Century Fox, $14.98.
- Max McQueen
(Cox News Service)
THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA - High-powered Hollywood hustlers discover a Spanish dancer in the back rooms of Madrid, make her a star and spark any number of jealous quarrels over who will win her attention, her affection, and maybe her love. The topnotch cast includes a radiant Ava Gardner in the title role, Humphrey Bogart as the director who engineers her fame, Edmond O'Brien in an Academy Award-winning performance as a press agent, and Rossano Brazzi as an Italian aristocrat. Released in 1954, the movie was clearly influenced by Vincente Minnelli's superior behind-the-scenes epic "The Bad and the Beautiful," made two years earlier. But there's an extra charge of exoticism to the contessa's tale, provided largely by the international settings. Not rated; MGM/UA Home Video.
- David Sterritt
(Christian Science Monitor)
BIOGRAPHY: THE THREE STOOGES - For Three Stooges fanatics. Of course, as the documentary clarifies, there were actually six Stooges over the years. If you care, this bio ($20, from A&E Home Video) is a must. Look for great outtakes and interviews with the principals. Columbia-Tristar has also released the library of Three Stooges films, priced at $15 for each tape with three shorts.
- Michael Blowen (Boston Globe)
THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES & SELECTED BIOGRAPH SHORTS - Most critics rank D.W. Griffith among the greatest American filmmakers, partly for his role in making cinema a full-fledged art form during the early years of this century, and partly for the imagination and vigor of his storytelling. This cassette includes six of his early shorts, from "The Redman's View" of 1909 to "The House of Darkness" of 1913, treating subjects connected with social issues. Not rated; Kino Video.
- David Sterritt
(Christian Science Monitor)