History of the World Part 1 (1981)

I wasn't familiar with History of the World until someone recommended that I see it. I knew a little of who Mel Brooks was and had seen Young Frankenstein so I knew this might be good. Now I think it is one of the funniest movies ever, a genius spoof of world history troughout different period of time. You get to see prehistoric man invent art, and along with the first art came the first art critic. We see the real story behind Moses and the Ten Commandments. The best part to me was the part about the Roman times, when Comicus the stand up philosopher is introduced. I was laughing long and hard when Comicus gets a job as waiter at the Last Supper. Also spoofed are the Spanish Inquisition and the French Revolution.

History of the World is a great movie that features a terrific cast including Mel Brooks, Gregory Hines, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman and Sid Caesar. There are others, but together they give an entertaining perspective into some of history's most important events. There are also countless quotes from the movie that will stick with you for a long time after you hear them. This is something I recommend seeing, as even after 23 years it still seems as fresh as ever with the humor it provides.

Though it's not considered a classic like Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein, there are a lot of laughs to be found in Mel Brooks' HISTORY OF THE WORLD PART I, a zany,if inconsistent look at Biblical times, the Stone Age, Ancient Rome, the Spanish Inquisition, and the French Revolution as seen through Brooks' demented brain. The film is not as all encompassing as its title implies, but Mel gives his own twisted vision to these particular times in earth's history, which includes Mel himself in four different roles, including Moses and his own version of Louis XIV (It's Good to be the King). Mel gathers his usual nutty repertory company together and laughs are provided by Sid Ceasar (very funny as a caveman), Madeline Kahn and Dom DeLuise (hysterical as Cleopatra and Ceasar), Gregory Hines, Cloris Leachman, and Harvey Korman as Count De Money ("That's De Monay!!!).

As always in his films, music is key and the Spanish Inquisition is presented here as a mammoth production number that is guaranteed to either amuse or offend,depending on your mood. Hard-core Brooks fans will love it, others be warned...there's something to offend everyone here.

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So many have reveiwed the movie, I would like to comment on the improvements of the Blu-ray release.

I was quite impressed, I always saw this as a grainy movie if the 1980's. This Blu-ray release is re-mastered with pure sharp images and bright clean colors. The sound also seems to be cleaned up a bit more. This movie looks like it was shot yesterday. You would not know its age until you see what Mel looks like today in the bonus material interview.

In addition to the great re-mastering, we are now treaded to bonus a documentary & trivia. Find out who was really cast for the movie & why tha last minute changes were made.

Now HISTORY gets the same deluxe treatment that BLAZING SADDLES & YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN got on their DVD releases.

Oh, and the movie itself just gets better with age.

This is well worth the upgrade, both movie qiality & monus material.

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When you see a title such as this with Mel Brooks the director, you pretty much know what you're getting. And Brooks does not disappoint. He uses the same philosophy as in "Silent Movie," marrying old jokes to veteran actors with hilarious results. It's no different here, whether it's Sid Caesar as a caveman who invents "rock" music, Brooks himself as Comicus, a stand-up comic and waiter at the Last Supper in ancient Rome, or Brooks regular Harvey Kormann as Count de Money ("de Monet, de Monet") in a send up of the the French Revolution, every old joke and routine is resurrected . . . and never fails to keep us laughing.

Besides Kormann and Caesar, Brooks is ably supported by Gregory Hines (his first film, and a great flair for comedy), Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Shecky Greene, and the great Spike Milligan.

And just when you think it can't get any sillier, along comes Brooks and the Spanish Inquisition in Swingtime, a beautiful parody of MGM musicals.

The only shame of this movie is that Brooks never got around to making a Part Two.

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When this film first appeared more than 20 years ago, it temporarily threatened to replace world history courses in schools, colleges, and universities. Of course, that didn't happen. Probably just as well, given the fact that screenwriter, producer, and director Mel Brooks never wrote, produced, and directed Part II and its eagerly-awaited portrayals of "Jews in Space" and "Hitler on Ice." There are historians' homes in which Brooks is still not welcome. In any event, what we have in Part I is a combination of five extended sketches: The Dawn of Man, The Stone Age, The Spanish Inquisition, The Bible, and The Future. Inevitably there are some gaps.

Brooks appears in several different roles while (in fact) portraying himself: Moses, Comicus, Torquemada, and King Lou. Other members of the Brooks Ensemble Company include Madeline Kahn (Empress Nympho), Cloris Leachman (Madame de Farge), Harvey Korman (Count de Monet), Ron Carey (Swiftus), Andreas Voutsinas (B'ernaise), and Shecky Green (Marcus Vindictus). Brooks has assembled a cast of thousands. The production values are remarkably good. However, as in other Brooks films such as Blazing Saddles and High Anxiety, the quality of the humor varies from Brilliant & Inspired (e.g. King Lou professing love of "the little people" while shooting at airborn peasants who have been launched as targets: "Pull!") to Oh No (e.g. Moses reducing the number of Commandments to Ten by dropping/breaking one of three tablets while descending Mount Sinai, and, Jesus becoming confused by use of his name as an expletive). Brooks is an incurable gagster and punster. More often than not, the humor in this film works. But when it doesn't....

Several clever touches. For example, beginning the film with a parody of 2001: A Space Odyssey, with Orson Welles providing the voice-over. Also, it is fun to play the equivalent of "Where's Waldo" by trying to spot familiar actors in supporting roles such as Bea Arthur (Clerk), Charlie Callas (Soothsayer), Jack Carter (Rat Vendor), Sid Caesar (Chief Caveman), John Gavin (Marche), Ronny Graham (Oedipus), Nigel Hawthorne (Official), John Hillerman (Rich Man), Hugh Hefner (Entrepreneur), Barry Levinson (Column Salesman), Spike Milligan (Monsieur Rimbaud), Howard Morris (Court Spokesman), Jan Murray (Nothing Vendor), and Henny Youngman (Chemist). As I said, a cast of thousands...if not more.

Brooks' best films, those most effectively developed, are The Producers and Young Frankenstein, the latter being a remarkably respectful version of several earlier films. All comics are thieves. The best comics steal from the best sources. I thought about that when I saw this film again recently, wondering if Brooks' History of the World -Part I was in any way influenced by The Story of Mankind (1957), a film based on Henrik Willem Van Loon's bestseller. For purposes of parody, The Story of Mankind would be an excellent target of opportunity. Those among its diverse cast of thousands (if not more) include Charles Coburn'(Hippocrates), Ronald Colman (The Spirit of Man), Cedric Hardwicke'(High Judge), Dennis Hopper'(Napoleon), Hedy Lamarr'(Joan of Arc), Peter Lorre'(Nero), Virginia Mayo'(Cleopatra), Chico Marx'(Monk), Harpo Marx'(Isaac Newton), Groucho Marx'(Peter Minuit), Agnes Moorehead'(Elizabeth I), Vincent Price (The Devil), and Cesar Romero'(Spanish Envoy). Whenever a list of the Ten Most Pretentious Movies Ever Made is formulated, The Story of Mankind is frequently and deservedly given serious consideration.

Despite its several flaws, The History of the World -Part I remains a generally entertaining, at times hilarious film. Whenever I see it again, I feel eager anticipation as I await its strongest scenes, willing to endure its weakest meanwhile. To me at least, the previews for Part II (which conclude Part I) suggest why Brooks resembles the Little Girl with The Curl: "When she's good, she's very very good but when she's bad...."

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The Hangover (2013)

If there's a movie film that was sold based on word of mouth, it's The Hangover. Trailer was funny but nothing spectacular, plot seems so "many times seen" (several guys go to Vegas for bachelor party and crazy things will happen) and main cast were relatively unknowns there's nothing to suggest anything promising. But those who have seen it can testify that it's a real comedy jewel and it was not surprise it become one of the most successful comedies.

Todd Phillips as director managed to surpass his previous hits as Road Trip, Old School and Starsky and Hutch by merit of providing regular and consistent laughs amidst backdrop of a frenetic and unrelenting morning after.

The problems with most comedies they have to put all their best laughs in the trailer, so by the time the movie comes around the funniest parts lose their impact and the rest of the movie is disappointing in comparison. The Hangover sidesteps this problem masterfully. We know guys will wake up with no memory of what went night before but these moments, although hilarious, aren't all what make the movie so good. The heart of the movie is in the chemistry between the three main actors Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) likable and identifiable enough for an audience to go along with events that could quite easily in another context seem ridiculous.

This success mostly can be credited to casting in unfamiliar faces (when the movie was made) and the actors themselves deserve huge credit. That would mostly consider Cooper who back then was slightly familiar and now is big star.

Movie director has no qualms when he puts his characters through so many problems, there's one shocking revelation after another as the people, animals and events they encountered the night before come back to them during the search for Doug. As the audience knows as little as the characters do, the reactions are completely true, they suspend disbelief as colossally silly events are only matched in magnitude by the sound of laughs in the theatre.

The Hangover never quite lets up, the laughs even continue way into the credits, so it is not wonder that two sequels were made to this successful movie.

Speaking about extras what you get is:

Picture In Picture commentary featuring three main actors and director

Cursing Mash Up funny compilation of all the cursing in the movie

Iron Mike Online Teaser the Champ's rendition of "In The Air Tonight"

More pictures from The Missing Camera 100+ added photos from the camera, pics you would screen out before you share with your friends

Map Of Destruction 15 spots where movie was made on a selectable icon map that takes you to a brief clip regarding making-of info

The Madness Of Ken Jeong brief movie shots of Ken Jeong, not so funny

Action Mash-Up a brief action mix, not so good

Three Best Friends Song looks funny in a movie, not so much in a longer version because they are not singers

The Dan Band! clean version of the Fame song.

Gag Reel funny, couple of minutes long

Good edition with ok extras, but nothing special.

Hangover has brilliant chemistry between actors and its plot make it better than you could possibly be expecting going in. It's funny from start to finish and is guaranteed it would bring smile on your face. Big recommendation for movie but for this Blu-ray edition, as well.

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Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead

If your job interview has the question, "Do you suffer from any blood vessel abnormalities, iron deficiencies, vitamin B-12 deficiencies and/or intravenous drug usage?" assume your boss is a vampire.

But in vampire movies, nobody ever figures out the bleeding obvious. And that's only the beginning for "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead," a clever little indie movie that combines vampire horror, Arthurian legend, romance, and Shakespeare's classic play "Hamlet." It's sly and clever, but things start coming unravelled at the end.

Julian Marsh (Jake Hoffman) is unemployed, unhappily single and deeply depressed, so his dad forces him to take a directing job. The play: "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead," by Theo Horace (John Ventimiglia). Julian gets his buddy Vince (Kris Lemche) a job as Hamlet; his ex-girlfriend Anna (Devon Aoki), who is now involved with a sleazy mafioso, is also cast as Ophelia.

It's glaringly obvious that Theo and his cronies are all vampires, and Vince suspects that something is undead in the state of Denmark. Julian (still hopelessly clueless) is contacted by a secret organization (which apparently has only one schizophrenic member) who reveal the horrifying truth of Theo's diabolical plans! Can he extricate himself and Anna from the play before they join the legions of the undead?

Vampire legend, the Holy Grail, Shakespeare's play, and the disturbing underbelly of New York theatrical life. "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead" is a fun little black comedy -director/writer Jordan Galland was obviously having a lot of fun smushing these things together into one story.

The entire movie is filled with quirky, sly humor (Vince repelling vampires with garlic breath), fun running gags (professional hypochondriac Hugo Pepper), and the second half manages to insert a murder subplot where poor Julian is trying to escape the cops. And Galland manages to craft some fun, semi-realistic dialogue ("I don't think that's how a vampire would really [bite someone]," Julian lectures Theo).

Probems? Julian is kind of stupid, since he doesn't figure out that Theo and Co. are vampires even though it's FRICKING OBVIOUS. Also the Holy Grail is central because it can cure vampirism, but then the subplot is just made pointless (and a chunk of the plot with it). Wha?

Even if the character is dumb and skanky, Hoffman is a pretty endearing actor -he has that dorky, puppy-eyed charm that makes you cheer for him and hope that everything turns out all right. Aoki is rather wooden but okay, and Lemche is fun as Hoffman's overconfident gay buddy. As for Ventimiglia, he chews the scenery as the most cliched, obvious vampire you can imagine -and obviously he's having a great time!

"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead" is a fun little movie despite subplots that come unraveled at the end. Quirky, weird and splattered with blood!

Shakespeare? Check.

Vampires? Check.

Holy Grail? Check.

Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies? Check.

This film is silly and enjoyable. A little slow to start, but once the principal characters are introduced, it gets rolling and is quite enjoyable (much more so than more lavish and polished productions featuring any one of those single elements mentioned above.

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Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

Danny Ocean (Clooney) and his gang are back, this time to get revenge against Willie Bank (Pacino). Bank has screwed over Reuben Tishkoff (Gould), and taken his land and money to build a new casino, causing Reuben to have a heart attack. The gang, led by Ocean, Rusty Ryan (Pitt), and Linus Caldwell (Damon), decide to put the new casino deep into the red and steal Bank's diamonds.

"Ocean's 13" is a vast improvement over "12" and on par with "11", if not a little better. The cast know their characters so well by this point and have a great chemistry. You know that they had fun making this movie, and it shows. The action is minimum, but interest is sustained through following their plan as it comes to fruition. There are some twists, but nothing earth-shattering. Mostly, this is a chance to see good actors doing their thing. Fans of this series will not be disappointed, and although director Steven Soderbergh says this is the last one, I can't help but hope that he changes his mind.

Movie's good! But DVD sucks big time!!! I've got VHS cassettes in better quality than that DVD. At the beginning, I thought my Sony Home Theatre System(DAV HDX500) & Sony Bravia TV got totally messed up. Turned out, there's nothing wrong with the equipment thank God! DVD's a problem!

Sound (Only 2.1) & Picture Quality (Very grainy, lack of focus etc.) make that movie "unpleasant" to watch. Even if you have decent TV & HTS. Kind of a bad copy of a very used VHS cassette. Shame on Warner Bros. or those guys who release such poor quality DVDs. I decided to buy/rent a couple more copies and compare the quality. If they're any better, than Amazon.com should reconsider their partnership with the distributor or whoever they are, 'cause it's definitely not the product I've expected!

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Warner Bros seems to be trying to populate their Blu-ray portfolio on the cheap. The sound is just Dolby 5.1, the same as a cheap DVD would have (some DVD have better) and the picture... it might have been some artistic selection to make it so but, I am not kidding, I spent 15-20 minutes while watching this movie trying to adjust my TV, thinking that maybe it was something wrong with it.

I will not recommend buying this. News to Warner Bros: Blu-ray allows you to include nice things such as 'uncompressed' audio and I can't think of any excuse for not having it on a relatively recent movie.

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All I can say is that I am extremely disappointed in the video quality for a high definition disc. Sure, the picture sharpness is way better then DVD, but there is SO much noise and grain in the video, it is almost unwatchable. A friend got the DVD and even though it is not as crisp, the grain and noise is so much less. I am completely disappointed in this Bluray version. So much in fact that I am trying to exchange for the DVD version it is so bad. It is as if the disc is defective, but from reading other reviews, that is just how bad this version is. Stay away.

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The movie was ok.

The picture quality on the DVD sucks. I'm taking it back to the store where I purchased it.

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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (Blu-ray+DVD+UltraViolet Combo Pack) (2013)

I didn't research this movie, and I just watched it because of the all-star cast. When I was watching it, it felt kind of like a TV movie, and now I know why. The director, Don Scardino, is mostly famous for directing TV series like 30 Rock, Law & Order, and Cosby, and it is kind of apparent in the movie. Nevertheless, this movie is still watchable and at times funny, and you get to see some guest star magicians like David Copperfield. However, if it was not because of Jim Carrey and Alan Arkin, I would give it 3 stars or less, but these guys really saved the movie. I also hope Olivia Wilde--which I know her mostly for her House, M.D.'s "13" role--to be able to get away from hottie roles before it is too late. I know she is young, and she should start somewhere, but people get bored of just faces rather quickly.

Since it was crushed at the box office and by critics we saw this at a bargain house because it left multiplexes so quickly, on a huge screen, and had a ball. It's a very goofy, at times rude and crude, silly film, but with a surprising heart at its core, particularly when it involves Alan Arkin's character. I loved the way his character is used in the finale, and it's one of the most memorable moments for me this year at the movies. Add to that I was laughing so hard at the ending credits' depiction of what happens to the magician duo's big illusion set piece as time goes on that my friend turned to me and said "It's funny, but it's not THAT funny" because I was lost in laughing so hard I was practically losing my breath. As I've noticed many times in life, comedy is personal, and this one happened to be fascinating and entertaining to me on several levels. I love variety acts, and magicians in particular. I have a soft spot for sweet depictions of the elderly being treated with respect and valued as human beings as they fade away in assisted living homes and nursing homes. I had never seen Olivia Wilde before and thought her wonderful in this. Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, Alan Arkin and James Gandolfini (RIP) have a ball in this and it shows--and I caught the wave with them, laughing through most of the film. This film managed to engage me from beginning to end, in both comic and touching ways, and I appreciated that. One of my favorite films of the year.

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I loved this movie. i thought that it was hilarious and just down right funny. jim carrey and steve carell are awesome. this movie is awesome. i thought that the story was good and that the actors were amazing and funny espicialy jim carrey. i knew right away that his character was based on criss angel. if you are a jim carrey fan then you should go see this movie. can't wait untile it comes out on dvd and blu ray. one thing i like about it is that you don't see to many movies about magicians comedy or not. and i thought the rivalry between burt and steve were hilarious. if you have not seen this movie then i recommend you do

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I almost didn't rent this due to all the bad reviews. Glad I did. If you liked dumb & dumber or the mask then you should like this too.

In an age of movies trying to have twists, hard to understand plots, and 3D I'm glad to say this movie is a great throw back.

It is a lot of physical satire and over the top humor. Lots of old tried & true pant pulls, funny voices, weird faces, and over exaggerated characters. The big time casino owner who doesn't know how old his kid is whose last name is "munny".

This is not a serious movie at all. There is as much of a "life lesson" undertone as the prevuously mentioned movies.

This is a movie ive actually rewatched. I hope this review helps.

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We thoroughly enjoyed this light-hearted and funny movie. Steve Carrell, Steve Buschemi, and Jim Carrey all very good. That's it!

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Pillow Talk (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) (1959)

Rating for this movie -5 Stars.

Rating for the 2004 DVD version of the film -1 Star.

"Pillow Talk" stars Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Tony Randall, and Thelma Ritter. It remains today what it was when released in October of 1959, and that is -a highly-entertaining and well-acted romantic comedy.

The film was re-released on DVD-Video by Universal Studios on April 6th, 2004. This newer version has been enhanced for 16x9 widescreen TVs, and the anamorphic enhancement has helped in many places. However, the picture quality here does seem to be a bit of a "hit and miss" proposition. Several portions of the movie still look rather crummy (artifact-wise), exhibiting obvious dirt speckles and "noise". The opening titles sequence is peppered with dirt and artifacts galore, as are a few other parts of the film, particularly ALL of the "split screen" scenes. For some reason, it seems that these "split screen" shots could not be cleaned-up nearly as much as the other portions of the movie.

But by far the biggest atrocity is the fact that this 2004 DVD print has been mis-framed! In some places pretty badly, too. Head room is way too tight here, with the tops of many character's heads being cut off. This was NOT the case with the previous 1999 DVD print of this movie.

When you compare the '99 print with this 2004 one, the mis-framing is obvious in many places. It appears that this new print has been "zoomed in" quite a bit, creating the tight head room. Some of the most blatant examples of this "zooming in" occur in Chapter 10, where the piano player's head is severely cropped. Whereas, on the '99 DVD, her entire head is visible in the frame. Plus, a few seconds later in that "Roly Poly" scene, we see a shot of several people singing along to the music and clapping their hands. In this shot, TWO ENTIRE PEOPLE (one on the left and one on the right side of the frame) are totally cut out of the shot! Plus, part of another man is cut out of the frame on the left! These "missing" people are all visible on the 1999 disc.

And check out Chapter 14! This scene is simply horrifying from a framing standpoint! Literally half of Rock Hudson's head is missing here! When we KNOW it should be in the frame (based on the 1999 disc, which is perfectly framed for the 2.35:1 aspect ratio of the movie). Yikes!

This is ridiculous carelessness on the part of Universal's quality control department! Many scenes are totally botched with this zoomed-in mis-framing of the print!

Looks like yet another case of a Universal product being mishandled in the DVD transfer department. A pity! For "Pillow Talk" is one of the best romantic comedies you're likely to see this year, or any other year. And it deserves better treatment than this. It's just plain stupid to let an obviously-botched DVD video transfer like this one get into any consumer's hands! Doesn't ANYONE check these framing issues before finalizing the product? Mind-boggling indeed!

This newer DVD version of the film contains the exact same Menu design and Special Features as the previous non-anamorphic variant (minus a text info page about Universal "Web Links"). The bonus features aren't very plentiful, being limited to the original theatrical trailer and some very extensive and informative text notes on the film and its cast members. (FYI -These text-based items are verbatim to the older "Pillow Talk" DVD release; but definitely worth a read. Until reading these Production Notes, I never knew a sequel to the film was being planned in 1980. But, unfortunately, the project never got beyond the initial planning stages, and the film was never made. Too bad. I'd have liked to have seen that sequel.)

I'm severely disappointed with this DVD. I looked forward very much to having this film in an enhanced anamorphic state. But in this butchered, mis-framed version, it's nearly impossible to fully enjoy the film. Because the FULL film is not here!

If you've already got the older non-anamorphic DVD of "Pillow Talk", you'd be better advised to just hang onto it, and skip this version entirely. Upon looking over both versions side-by-side, the older one really isn't very much worse (fuzziness-wise) than this new one. And when factoring in the mis-framing problem of the new one, the old DVD displays the WHOLE picture; while this new one definitely does not.*

* EDIT/FOOTNOTE (OCTOBER 2005) -Universal has supposedly fixed the mis-framing problem with this 2004 DVD release -although I've ordered multiple copies of the "new" disc (from different e-tailers) and still haven't seen a properly-framed copy. I've had to return each one thus far (and they were ordered more than a year apart). Very discouraging. So, you're taking your chances when you order this '04 version of the film.

~throws hands in air in disgust~

Doris Day and Rock Hudson are perhaps the best duo in movie history. Pillow Talk is one of the most clever comedies ever made. This film is about a painful reality in the 50'sparty lines. When Jan Morrow wants to use her phone, she must first listen to her other "party" Brad Allen romance the women. She finally works out a deal with him to each have a thirty minute slot where they can make calls, but selfish Brad doesn't adhere to the rules at all! Brad accidentally meets the other end of his party line at a restaurant, and makes a quick decision to become someone else. He ultimately romances Jan, while she has no idea that he is her arch enemy. For it's time, Pillow Talk was one of the more risque films, but yet one of the funniest and most romantic ever made.

On that note, I have to say I was so disappointed with this DVD. There are no extras to speak of other than the trailer and some production notes. As successful as the stars of this movie were, you think Universal could have put a little more punch into this DVD. The quality of the DVD is also quite poor. There was no digital remastering, only a direct copy from vhs to dvd. If you are a person who only has dvd's, I would still get this because this is such a classic, you have to have it around. If you still have your vhs machine, get it on vhs, it's cheaper and not any less quality than the dvd.

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This is probably the most well known pairing of Doris Day and Rock Hudson. A laugh out loud comedy in which Tony Randall and Thelma Ritter also showcase their vast comedic talent. Jan Morrow shares a party line with Brad Allen, which she has tried to put a stop to, but the phone company won't cooperate. She uses it for her work as an interior decorator, while he uses it to seduce a multitude of women thru his song writing. When they meet by accident, he assumes another identity to get close to Jan hoping to deceive her until he has the opportunity to get what he wants. When she becomes wise to his deception, all bets are off!

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Of all the classic comedies that starred Doris Day and Rock Hudson, or the two stars with other co-stars, this remains my favorite.The legendary late Rock Hudson was at his peak in this romantic comedy, and who better to showcase his charms against, than quintessential girl-next-door, Doris Day. Hudson thrives on his ability to charm indeed, as a songwriter named Brad Allen. Brad is a love-em and leave-em kind of guy, who entertains a seemingly endless array of lovesick females at his well equipped bachelor pad. He also sings to them over the phone for hours on end, tying up the telephone party-line he shares with Jan Morrow, interior designer, enter a perturbed Doris Day. Every time Jan picks up the phone, she hears Brad sing "You're My Inspiration...", and always with a new girls' name attached to the end. Flabbergasted at his womanizing, she sends a phone company rep to have a word with Mr. Allen, only to find that she TOO has fallen for the tall dark and handsome playboy.

Jan tells her boyfriend of sorts played by the wonderful veteran comedy legend Tony Randall, about her dialing dilemma. Randall, as always, plays himself. He's neat, dapper and proper, as not only Jan's boyfriend, but Brad Allen's friend and boss as well. After extoling the virtues of Jan to Brad, and mentioning that she shares a party-line with "some nut", describing the singing phone routine, Brad is too curious to find out what Randall is so wild about. After Brad Allen finally glimpses Jan Morrow dancing at a club, and sees the other end of his party line is not the shrew he expected, he sets out for his sweetest conquest of all.

"Pillow Talk" is a timeless gem of classic comedy. Amazingly, it was considered quite risque in it's time. This only goes to show just how jaded the world and cinema has become since 1959. Rock Hudson was actually embarrassed, and nearly declined the role. We can speculate in retrospect why he felt that way, but no one could've been a better cad than Rock as Brad! The one and only Doris Day is sweet as sunshine, until the duped decorator delighfully disarms Mr. Allen's charms, leaving him, for the first time, really in love with someone other than himself. Thelma Ritter is amusing as Jan's perpetually hung-over housekeeper. It's a truly comic moment when Ritter counsels Brad over a few too many drinks on how to win Jan over, and Hudsons' head hits the table with a thud, while Ritter babbles on oblivous to her companions condition. Tony Randall is his classic prim self, and laugh out loud funny, as he storms into his own place to rescue Jan from the smug seducer huffing the line "At least you could have had the DECENCY...to bring your OWN champagne!"

There are too many wonderful moments in this film to cover them all. If you somehow haven't, it's far better for you to enjoy watching this long lost genre of the innocent, fun, fresh feel-good romantic comedy, and experience first hand, the pure delight it has to offer in abundance.

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I was so excited to see that Universal is making a special edition of PILLOW TALK's 50th Anniversary on dvd. The 1959 comedy romance movie about an interior decorator Jan Morrow (Doris Day) who shares a party line with a womanizing wolf Brad Allen (Rock Hudson),was an unbelievable box office hit in 1959, and I thought Universal will really make this Golden Anniversary of the film a great one! Upon viewing the film, I at once noticed nothing new. I am a huge Doris Day fan, so I pulled out my other Pillow Talk dvd copies, looked at them side by side and here's the facts:

This dvd is the EXACT dvd that was made for the 2007 THE DORIS DAY AND ROCK HUDSON COMEDY COLLECTION, which includes all 3 movies they made together: Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back and Send Me No Flowers.

This 2007 Doris/Rock Set is an improvement over the Pillow Talk dvd's that were made in 2004 and earlier, as Universal "remastered" it with a tiny bit more brightness, a tiny bit more detail and a tiny bit more frame area. 2007 was the first year Universal made tiny "upgrades" to Pillow Talk when they made this Doris Day/Rock Hudson dvd set. All they did for this 50th Anniversary Set, was use this 2007 Pillow Talk dvd.

This Anniversary Edition includes these Bonus Features:

Commentary with Film Historians Jeff Bond, Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman.

Chemistry 101: The Film Duo of Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Featurette that talks about how filmmakers first saw the sparks between Doris and Rock, and how that made them put the duo together for 2 more successful films.

Back in Bed with Pillow Talk: Film Historians, experts, authors, cast and crew discuss the many elements that propelled PILLOW TALK to a top box office spot for Universal Studios in 1959.

Theatrical Trailer.

This 50th Anniversary Edition is great to own, if you never bought the 2007 "upgrade" of Pillow Talk, as it is a slightly better copy over all the dvd's that were made before 2007. The Bonus Features are not that exciting, as Doris is not in anything new. I'm disappointed that Universal could have made a fantastic upgrade of this film, and included better Bonus Features, and included Dorisif only for 5 minutes!! (Look what they did for Disney's 50th Anniversary of Sleeping Beauty and Wizard of Oz's 50thabsolutely gorgeous.) If they had only included 5 minutes of Doris and spent another 5 weeks upgrading the original 35 mm film, they would have gotten my 5 stars!!

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