An eclectic array of children's DVDs has landed on video store shelves, including a couple of 1960s relics, and a pair dedicated to Dr. Seuss — just in time for the opening of "The Cat in the Hat" on Friday.
— "The Best of Dr. Seuss" (Warner, 1942-95, not rated, $19.98).
— "In Search of Dr. Seuss" (Warner, 1994, not rated, $19.98).
With the opening of the live-action "Cat in the Hat" movie, two new DVDs have been released, and both will please fans (young and old).
Two half-hour TV specials and a 10-minute Merrie Melodies cartoon are featured on the "Best of Dr. Seuss" disc. "The Butter Battle Book" (1989); "Daisy-Head Mayzie," introduced by the Cat in the Hat (1995); and "Horton Hatches the Egg" (1942) are all a lot of fun. (Although, visually, "Horton" stands out, showing how much more fluid and fully animated cartoons used to be. Not that kids will notice.)
"In Search of Dr. Seuss" is a 90-minute TV special that has a reporter (Kathy Najimy) getting the full history of Dr. Seuss from the Cat in the Hat (Matt Frewer). While mostly lighthearted and wacky, this show also has its serious moments, exploring Theodor Geisel's strong feelings concerning prejudice and self-worth.
Also on hand in various character guises are Robin Williams, Patrick Stewart, Christopher Lloyd and Billy Crystal, among others. And there are clips from animated specials "The Lorax," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "The Butter Battle Book" and "Horton Hatches the Egg," among others. (As a bonus, there is a 1943 black-and-white "Private Snafu" military cartoon that Geisel wrote and Chuck Jones directed, complete with offensive Japanese stereotypes, which might provide a discussion opportunity for parents.)
Extras: Full frame, trailers, etc.
— "The Trouble With Angels" (Columbia, 1966, PG, $24.95).
— "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows" (Columbia, 1968, G, $24.95).
The incomparable Rosalind Russell stars in these two '60s comedies as a stern mother superior running a Catholic girls school in Pennsylvania. Both films are slight farces that look for all the world as if they were cranked out of the Disney factory (helped by the presence of Hayley Mills in the first film), and they're worth seeing for the many familiar faces that pop up.
The first, and more successful of the two, is an episodic tale of two young girls (Mills and June Harding) who arrive at the school and plague Russell with practical jokes and a penchant for trouble over the next three years. The film ignores the changing climate of the world outside, but the sequel embraces it, as Russell butts heads with progressive nun Stella Stevens during a long bus ride to the West Coast.
Ida Lupino routinely directed the first one, without any of the grit she brought to earlier efforts, and her cast includes Gypsy Rose Lee (!) and an unbilled Jim Hutton. The second film boasts guest appearances by Arthur Godfrey, Robert Taylor, Van Johnson and Milton Berle, with a very young Susan Saint James as a student.
Look for Mary Wickes in both films, wearing a habit for a role not unlike the one she played in the "Sister Act" pictures some 25 years later.
Extras: Full frame, etc.
— "The Santa Clause 2" (Disney, 2002, G, $29.99). This sequel with Tim Allen isn't quite as much fun as the original, but it does have its moments, as Allen's Santa character discovers that to keep playing the role, he must marry. In addition, Allen plays a second role, a Santa robot that takes his place at the North Pole for awhile and proves to be a tyrant. But the laughs are fewer and further between than the first time around, and there are a few too many gassy reindeer gags.
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary, making-of documentaries, deleted scenes, bloopers, DVD-Rom applications, etc.
— "Food Safari Breakfast" (YumYum, 2003, not rated, $14.99). This combination of live-action, animation and hand puppets is designed to encourage young children to eat better. There is also a "Food Safari Lunch" DVD, but for this price, and since they are only a half-hour each, why can't they be on one disc?
Extras: Full frame, etc.
E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com