Writers: Various
Directors: Various
Cast: Eleanor Powell, James Stewart, Virginia Bruce, Una Merkel, Sid Silvers, Buddy Epsen, Ann Sothern, Robert Young, Lionel Barrymore, John Carroll, Red Skelton, Jack Benny, George Murphy, Binnie Barnes, Jane Powell, Tony Martin, Debbie Reynolds, Walter Pidgeon, Ann Miller, Russ Tamblyn, José Ferrer, Merle Oberon, Helen Traubel, Doe Avedon, Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Dolores Gray, Vic Damone, Monty Woolley, Ann Sothern, Barry Sullivan, Carmen Miranda, Louis Calhern, Ricardo Montalban, Ann Harding
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Bros.
Release Date: April 8, 2008
I love musicals. There are romantic musicals. There are entertaining musicals. There are cheesy musicals. They really don’t make musicals like they did in the old days. Many big name actors have starred in musicals and while not every storyline for a musical is logical nor does it make a lot of sense the entertainment value of the singing, acting and dancing are what make these movies worth watching.
I had never seen any of the musicals in the Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3 box set collection. While I had heard of many of the actors and seen most of them in other movies, I’d only heard of Kismet out of the nine movies included in this box set. I figured the set couldn’t be all that bad. With names like James Stewart, Jack Benny, Lionel Barrymore, Eleanor Powell, Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Richardo Montalban, and Red Skelton, it is hard to argue about the quality of the acting, but I have realized that I should be prepared for anything. Luckily, while this certainly is a diverse group of films to put together in one set, I wasn’t too disappointed with what I found in this set.
Release Information:
The nine movies that are included in the Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3, were all originally released from dates that range from the 1930s-1950s. Hit the Deck was released in March of 1955. Born to Dance was released in November of 1936. Lady be Good was released in September of 1941.
Broadway Melody of 1936 was released in September of 1935. Broadway Melody of 1938 was released on August of 1937. Nancy Goes to Rio was released in March of 1950. Two Weeks with Love was released in November of 1950. Deep in My Heart was released in December 1954. Finally, Kismet was released in October of 1955.
Warner Bros. released the Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3 on April 8, 2008. The DVD box set and the two previous volumes can be purchased through online retailers including Amazon. This box set, in particular, is available for just under $70.
The Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3 Plot
The Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3 features nine movies on six discs. Here is a brief synopsis of each movie with a list of a few of the primary actors in them.
The Eleanor Powell 2-Disc Double Feature
:Born to Dance:
This is a part of the Eleanor Powell 2-Disc Double Feature. The cast for Born to Dance includes Eleanor Powell, James Stewart, Virginia Bruce, Una Merkel, Sid Silvers and Buddy Epsen.
Jenny (Una Merkel) works as a hostess and desk clerk at the “Lonely Hearts Club”. She has been married to a navy boy, ‘Gunny’ (Sid Silvers), though they haven’t seen each other since he shipped off right after their marriage four years ago. Gunny shows up at the club with his navy buddies, sailors Ted (James Stewart) and Mush (Buddy Epson). At the club, Ted falls for a wannabe Broadway performer, Nora Paige (Eleanor Powell), who is just a small town girl with stars in her eyes.
When Ted saves the Pekinese of the Broadway star Nora is playing understudy to, Lucy James (Virginia Bruce), she falls for him. Ted is ordered to go on a date with her, by his captain, since Lucy was a part of a public relations campaign on his submarine. After Ted and Lucy’s picture are posted in the paper, thanks to her overzealous publicist who thinks interest in Lucy will go up, Nora vows that she’s done with Ted, who still loves her.
:Lady be Good:
Lady be Good also features Eleanor Powell as well as Ann Sothern, Robert Young, Lionel Barrymore, John Carroll, Red Skelton, and Virginia O’Brien. This film features the Gershin tunes, “Lady be Good” and “Fascinating Rhythm”. Dixie Donegan Crane (Sothern) and Eddie Crane (Young) aren’t just a lyricist-composer duo. They’re also married to one another. Despite still being in love, the two are divorced. Their only hope is the help of Dixie’s meddling best friend, Marilyn Marsh (Powell), who also performs in the duo’s show.
:Broadway Melody of 1936:
The second disc of the Eleanor Powell double feature offers this movie, which includes an all star cast with Jack Benny, Eleanor Powell, Robert Taylor, Una Merkel, Frances Langford, Sid Silvers, and Buddy Ebsen. Robert Gordon (Taylor) wants to put on a show. To do so, he must rely on the funding of a wealthy widow, Lillian Brent (June Knight), who does so with the promise she will have the part of lead dancer. At the same time, an old friend of Gordon’s who is also a talented tap dancer, Irene (Eleanor Powell), would like to have the role of the lead dancer in the show, but Lillian is determined to keep the part for herself.
:Broadway Melody of 1938:
The final selection in this Eleanor Powell four set is Broadway Melody of 1938. Once again, this movie stars Robert Taylor, Eleanor Powell and Buddy Epsen. This movie also stars George Murphy, Binnie Barnes, Sophie Tucker, Judy Garland, Charles Igor Gorin, and Raymond Walburn. Steve Raleigh (Young) wants to put on a Broadway show. He wants Sally Lee (Eleanor Powell) to be his star. To pay for his show, Steve must rely on his financer, Herman Whipple (Robert Wahlburn). Herman’s wife, Caroline (Binnie Barnes) doesn’t want Sally in the show, preferring to have a famous actress in the lead. Sally decides to train a horse she once owned, in order to race the horse and make the money so Steve can have the show he wants, but that is easier said than done!
The Jane Powell Double Feature
:Nancy Goes to Rio:
One of the two movies to feature Jane Powell that is included in this set is Nancy Goes to Rio. The cast, besides Powell includes Ann Sothern, Barry Sullivan, Carmen Miranda, Louis Calhern, and Scotty Beckett. In Nancy Goes to Rio, Powell plays Nancy Barklay, the daughter of a legendary Broadway actress, Frances Elliot (Ann Sothern). A playwright Frances works with and her publicist feel tha she is too old to play a role in a leading show that she wants to perform in, in Brazil. In the meantime, Nancy has headed down to Rio to visit her mother and she’d be the perfect person to take over the role! Well, everyone but Frances seems to think so. To add more drama to an already dramatic film, Frances and Nancy fall for the same man, Paul Berten (Barry Sullivan), and having overheard Nancy rehearsing, Paul just happens to think she’s pregnant!
Two Weeks with Love
This is the second of the Jane Powell movies. The actors involved in this film are Jane Powell, Ricardo Montalban, Louis Calhern, Phyllis Kirk and Ann Harding. Patti Robinson (Powell), her parents, and her sister take a vacation to the Catskills. Patti falls for a handsome young man by the name of Demi Armendez (Ricardo Montalban). Unfortunately, Patti’s friend, Valeria (Phyllis Kirk) is also in love with Demi and she has the advantage over Patti because Patti’s parents, especially her father, think she is too young to date. As Patti tries to get Demi’s attention, it will take her performance in an amateur show to really show him what a great girl she is.
:Random Films Included in this Set:
Deep in My Heart
An all star cast made up of Jose Ferrer, Merle Oberon, Helen Traubel, Doe Avedon, Paul Stewart, Walter Pidgeon, Paul Henreid, Rosemary Clooney, Gene Kelly, Fred Kelly, Jane Powell, Vic Damone, Ann Miller, Cyd Charisse, Howard Keel, and Tony Martin perform in the musical Deep in My Heart. This was an MGM biopic on the life of the famous musical composer, Sigmund Romberg (Jose Ferrer). This is the only film in which Gene Kelly’s brother Fred makes an appearance. This movie is filled with music and each performance number is loosely connected by the telling of Romberg’s life story.
Hit the Deck
This film is quite similar to other sailor-style musicals, including the far superior On the Town and Anchors Aweigh, though it is not quite as good as the other two movies, in terms of its story. Hit the Deck still features a decent cast that includes Jane Powell, Tony Martin, Debbie Reynolds, Walter Pidgeon, Vic Damone, Gene Raymond, Ann Miller, Russ Tamblyn, and Jane Darwell. The movie focuses on Susan Smith (Jane Powell), who wants a role in the musical “Hit the Deck”. Determined to save his sisters virtue, Danny Xavier Smith (Russ Tamblyn), will do anything he can to keep that from happening, especially since their father is a strict Rear Adm. Daniel Xavier Smith (Walter Pidgeon).
Kismet
Probably the best known of all the movies in this set, Kismet stars Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Dolores Gray, Monty Wooley, and Sebastian Cabot. This is by far the best of all the musicals in terms of the storyline and Howard Keel, a movie musical veteran, puts in a great performance in this movie. Kismet is another term for fate, and the lives of a poor beggar, known simply as The Poet (Howard Keel) and his daughter Marsinah (Ann Blyth) are forever changed on one fateful day.
While most of these musicals are entertaining the first time you watch them, especially if you like musicals, they just aren’t as good as some of the more well known shows out there. The acting, with such an amazing cast in all nine movies, is what makes this set, along with the the song and dance numbers. When it comes to the plot of each musical, the stories are somewhat weak, but musicals aren’t necessarily known for their story strength and depending on why you’re watching these musicals, you might actually just want them so you can listen to the music and see some of the best actors from this era in Hollywood perform.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
The visual quality for the nine films in this set varies from somewhat decent to quite poor. Here is a basic run down of the visual quality for each film with a brief description of any visual problems the film might have.
Born to Dance: This film goes back and forth from terrible to good in terms of quality. The biggest problems are scratching and fuzz with the occasional crackling. When it is really bad, it really isn’t happening in the most important of scenes, but it is visible enough to be noticeable. The contrasts are good and the colors are typically vibrant. This gets 1.5 out of 5.
Lady be Good: The best in the bunch, the full frame transfer is good with vibrant colors, nice blacks and white tones, and excellent contrast. You can expect minor grain, but depending on the age of the film, that is to be expected. This gets 4 out of 5.
Broadway Melody of 1936: Expect quite a bit of grain, scratching and brief moments of fuzziness. The contrast is quite exceptional and everything is vibrant. This one looks much better than some of the other films, but still shows its age with some dirt and other muck that could have possibly been cleaned up. Overall this gets 3 out of 5.
Broadway Melody of 1938: There is some grain and scratching, but the transfer, done in full frames is much better than the transfer for the 1936 movie. This gets 3.5 out of 5.
Nancy Goes to Rio: The contrast is decent. The colors are good. There are some compression artifacts and plenty of grain, but it is much better than some of the other films. This gets 3 out of 5.
Two Weeks with Love: There are some problems with the colors. They are not as vibrant and the contrast isn’t quite as good as some of the other films. There are artifacts and grain as well as some scratching. Still, it is better than a few of the Eleanor Powell movies. This gets 2 out of 5.
Deep in My Heart: This film has been enhanced at a 1.78: 1 ratio. The colors are off, with some very vibrant moments. There are minor problems with grain, but save for the color issue, the transfer is actually pretty good. This gets 3 out of 5.
Hit the Deck: The colors are sharp, the contrast is good and so is the saturation level. There are some edge problems, but overall this 2.35:1 presentation is decent. This gets 3 out of 5.
Kismet: The color is muted and the film suffers for it. The contrast is good and the enhanced 2.35:1 video has a good level of saturation. Expect moments of grain. This gets 2.5 out of 5.
Here is information on the audio quality for each film, with a brief description of any problems the audio for the films seemed to have.
Born to Dance: Presented with a remastered English mono soundtrack, the audio for Born to Dance is quite good. The music, the dialogue and any sound effects on this audio track come through loud and clear. There is also a mono French track and there are subtitles available in both English and French. This is 4 out of 5.
Lady be Good: The English mono soundtrack is decent, but there are a few minor issues with volume that need to be dealt with. The music sounds good and the dialogue is clear for the most part. There are subtitles available in English and French. This is 2.5 out of 5.
Broadway Melody of 1936: This has English mono sound. It’s relatively flat, but otherwise good. There are English and French subtitles. This is 3.5 out of 5.
Broadway Melody of 1938: This soundtrack isn’t as good as the previously mentioned tracks. The track has been damaged and there are some problems with the music including issues with volume toggling. The mono tracks are in English and French and there are also subtitles in both languages. This is 1 out of 5.
Nancy Goes to Rio: The English mono soundtrack is quite good. The sound is a bit flat, except when it comes to the music, which is full and vibrant sounding. The sound comes through clearly in all its various forms. There are subtitles available in English and French. This is 4 out of 5.
Two Weeks with Love: The English mono soundtrack is quite good. There are subtitles available in both English and French. Everything comes through clearly and is easy to hear. This is 4 out of 5.
Deep in My Heart: This English soundtrack is a remastered 5.0 track. This track is awesome. There is also a track available in French. Subtitles are available in both languages. As you might expect everything comes through quite loud and clear. This is 4 out of 5.
Hit the Deck: The Hit the Deck soundtrack isn’t that good. There are both 5.1 and 5.0 remastered English soundtracks, but it is pretty clear the source material was in very bad shape so the enhancement isn’t as good as most soundtracks could be. Be prepared to sound toggle quite a bit. English and French subtitles are available. This is .5 out of 5.
Kismet: The remastered 5.0 and 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtracks are excellent. Sounds are clear, full and delightful to hear. There are tracks in English and Portuguese with subtitles in both languages as well as French. This is 4.5 out of 5.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
Here is a list of the bonus features by movie.
Born to Dance: The short “The Second Step”, a cartoon featuring Cab Calloway, an audio outtake of “Easy to Love”, the original trailer, and an excerpt from a 1936 Hollywood Hotel radio broadcast are all extras with this film.
Lady be Good: The short “Glimpses of Florida”, cartoon “The Rookie Bear”, the theatrical trailer, an audio outtake of “I’d Rather Dance” and a radio broadcast excerpt from “Leo on the Air” are the list of this film’s extras.
Broadway Melody of 1936: The short, “Sunkist Stars in Palm Springs”, the cartoon “To Spring”, the theatrical trailer and an excerpt from the broadcast, “Leo on the Air” are all included as bonus features.
Broadway Melody of 1938: The short, “That Mothers Might Live”, cartoon “Pipe Dreams”, audio outtakes from “Everybody Sing”, other audio outtakes, the theatrical trailer and an excerpt from the radio broadcast, “Leo on the Air” make up a nice set of extras for this film.
Nancy Goes to Rio: There are no extras included.
Two Weeks with Love: The TCM broadcast for the “Private Screenings” interview by Robert Osborne (featuring Jane Powell), a Tex Avery cartoon “Garden Gopher” and the theatrical trailer are all included here as bonuses.
Deep in My Heart: There are some outtakes, a Tex Avery cartoon, “Farm of the Future”, and Strauss waltzes that are all bonuses for this film.
Hit the Deck: There are no extras included.
Kismet: The short, “The Battle of Gettysburg”, a cartoon, “The First Bad Man”, an outtake of “Rahadlakum”, an audio outtake of “Rhymes Have I” and two excerpts from “The MGM Parade” are all bonuses for Kismet.
As you can see there is plenty of interesting bonus features to this set. Fans of these musicals will love the extras.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
If you like classic era movie musicals then you’re going to want to pick up a copy of Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3. Otherwise, you won’t want to get this box set. While the actors are good and the musical aspect is good, the films just aren’t as good as many of the most famous musicals. If you aren’t sure if you’re going to like Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory: Volume 3 and the movies in this set, you might want to rent them first. You never know. You might like them, but then again, you might not!
Overall Rating: 
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