Hollywood North

Starring:Matthew Modine, Saul Rubinek, Alan Bates, Joe Cobden, Deborah Kara Unger, Alan Thicke, John Neville, Lindy Booth, Fab Filippo, Clare Coulter, Sandi Stahlbrand, John Bayliss, Jennifer Tilly, Audrey Lupke, Kim Coates, Peter Oldring, Jeremy Wright, Matt Birman, Nancy E.L. Ward, Michael Stevens (XII)
Director: Peter O'Brian
Studio: First Look Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Surely even the French, with their legendary love of all things Jerry Lewis, will be sated by the Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection: Vol. 2, a three-disc package containing five comedy-musicals released on DVD for the first time. It would be a supreme stretch to call any of the five films in question (You're Never Too Young, Artists and Models, Living It Up, Pardners, and Hollywood or Bust) a classic, but then, anyone looking for challenging storylines and deep characterizations probably wouldn't be here in the first place. What the films offer instead are various breezy diversions, in the form of Martin, the suave, smooth talking cad and crooner; a parade of lovely young women (Dorothy Malone, Anita Ekberg, Janet Leigh, and Shirley MacLaine among them); some terrific musical numbers that are the highlights of their respective films; and, of course, the antics of Lewis, whose capacity for slapshtick and mugging is apparently inexhaustible. By this time (the mid-1950s), the two had already fit comfortably into their respective personae, with Lewis as the naïve, ingenuous rube and Martin right there to take advantage of him. In Artists and Models, Martin's aspiring painter cops ideas from the frenzied dreams of his comics-obsessed roommate (Lewis, natch) and creates a hit comic of his own, a simple story that's derailed by an absurd and unnecessary subplot involving the U.S. government and some enemy agents. Living It Up, adapted from an earlier musical called Nothing Sacred, finds Lewis cajoled by Martin, his doctor (talk about a stretch!), into pretending that he's suffering from radiation poisoning so they can both enjoy a lavish trip to New York courtesy of a newspaper trying to boost circulation by playing up the "dying" man's plight. Hollywood or Bust, a combination road picture and gentle spoof of the movie biz, casts Martin as a gambler and con man accompanying film fanatic Lewis on a trip to Tinseltown, while Pardners is a Wild West romp ("Jerry Lewis as a gunslinger" about sums it up) and You're Never Too Young puts Lewis totally in his element as he impersonates a 12-year-old boy in order to escape bad guy Raymond Burr. The plots are thin, at best, and the songs are hardly Oscar caliber. Still, the two stars have an undeniable chemistry, and the musical set pieces are highly entertaining, most notably a sort of pas de duh (sic) between Lewis and MacLaine in Artists and Models and an eye-popping, show-stopping dance number in Living It Up. In the end, it all basically comes down to one's capacity to endure Lewis' manic mannerisms (it's worth noting that by Hollywood or Bust, the pair's last collaboration, he's pretty thoroughly upstaged by a Great Dane). If even this cornucopia isn't sufficient, perhaps a move to France is in order. The set contains no bonus material. --Sam Graham

Product Description

LIVING IT UP: The 1954 Martin-and-Lewis romp Living It Up is an amusing remake of the 1937 comedy classic Nothing Sacred. More specifically, it is the film version of the Broadway musical Hazel Flagg, which was based on Nothing Sacred. The heroine of the original undergoes a sex change to become feckless Homer Flagg (Jerry Lewis), who is led to believe that he's dying of radiation poisoning. Manhattan newspaperwoman Wally Cook (Janet Leigh), hoping to improve circulation of her paper, convinces her boss, Oliver Stone (Fred Clark), to fete Homer as a hero with an all-expenses-paid trip to the Big Apple. Meanwhile, Homer learns from local doctor Steve (Dean Martin) that he isn't dying at all. But Steve talks Homer into taking advantage of the celebrity treatment bestowed on him by Wally, and a good time is had by all — until medical specialist Dr. Egelhofer (Sig Rumann) insists upon examining Homer. Highlights include a hilarious bit at Yankee Stadium, and an energetic jitterbug number featuring Jerry Lewis and Sheree North. The handful of songs retained from Hazel Flagg include "Every Street's a Boulevard in Old New York."
YOU'RE NEVER TOO YOUNG: You're Never Too Young is a slapstick-with-songs remake of the 1944 Ray Milland/Ginger Rogers vehicle The Major and the Minor. Dean Martin plays the Milland part, while Ginger's shoes are filled by...Jerry Lewis? Lewis plays an apprentice barber who inadvertently crosses a homicidal jewel thief (Raymond Burr), and equally inadvertently hightails it out of town with the crook's jewels in his possession. Desperate to escape the crook's clutches, and lacking the necessary funds for a train ticket, Lewis disguises himself as a 12-year-old boy so he can travel half fare. He latches onto Dean, a music teacher heading for an all-girls school. After innumerable routines sparked by Lewis's adolescent disguise, the jewel thief catches up with him, leading to a rollicking climactic speedboat chase. Dean Martin has plenty of opportunities to serenade leading lady Diana Lynn (who'd played a supporting role in The Major and the Minor), while Jerry Lewis is in peak form doing his usual "waah-waah-waah" schtick. The original Billy Wilder/Charles Brackett script for The Major and the Minor was reshaped into You're Never Too Young by future bestselling novelist Sidney Sheldon.
ARTISTS AND MODELS: Bearing very little relation to the 1937 Paramount musical of the same name, Artists and Models is a lavish, girl-filled vehicle for the popular team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Martin plays Rick Todd, a comic-book artist who is under fire from his publisher (Eddie Mayehoff), who complains that Rick's work isn't gory enough. Lewis plays Eugene Fullstack, Rick's roommate, who while asleep dreams up elaborate comic-book plots and garishly costumed superheroes. Eugene's nightmares help Rick become a success; meanwhile, our two heroes romance their luscious neighbors, artist Dorothy Malone and rambunctious model Shirley MacLaine (who during one song wrestles Eugene to the floor and sits on his chest!) Eugene's overworked imagination somehow attracts the attention of a group of Russian spies, who attempt to abduct Eugene during the annual Artists and Models Ball. Director Frank Tashlin uses Artists and Models as an excuse for some of the wildest sight-gags seen in a mid-1950s film. At one point, the director contrives to stuff a gag in Shirley MacLaine's mouth. Tashlin also exhibits his ongoing fascination with female breasts and legs by giving ample screen time to the natural attributes of co-stars Anita Ekberg and Zsa Zsa Gabor. One of the best of the Martin/Lewis efforts, Artists and Models suffers only from being about 20 minutes too long.
PARDNERS: This Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis romp is liberally based on the 1936 Bing Crosby film Rhythm on the Range. Set around 1910, the film stars Lewis as the pampered son of female tycoon Agnes Moorehead. Yearning to return to the Wild West where his father was a famed peacekeeper, Lewis purchases a prize bull, destined for the ranch inherited by rodeo star Dean Martin. It so happens that Martin and Lewis' late fathers were "pardners", so Martin takes it upon himself to protect Lewis from the various and sundry tough hombres in the region. Through a series of bizarre plot convolutions, Lewis gains a reputation as a rootin' tootin' gunslinger, and in his hubris he decides to round up a gang of outlaws headed by Jeff Morrow. As a result, he nearly gets himself blown to smitherines, but Martin shows up in the nick of time to rescue Lewis and help him capture the bad guys. Lori Nelson and Jackie Loughery supply the film's peripheral romantic angle. Pardners ends with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis turning to the camera and promising that they'll keep on making pictures for their faithful fans; ironically, the team was breaking up even while the cameras were turning.
HOLLYWOOD OR BUST: Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made their last joint film appearance in the girl-filled musical Hollywood or Bust. The thinnish plot finds inveterate film fan Jerry making a cross-country journey to Tinseltown for the purpose of meeting his favorite screen star, the buxom Anita Ekberg (the film's title, need it be added, has a double meaning). Dean goes along for the ride, hoping to expand his bankroll during a Las Vegas stopover. The boys are joined by a third traveller, an enormous Great Dane named Mr. Bascomb; along the way, the trio becomes a quartet when pretty Pat Crowley hitches a ride. The finale takes place in Hollywood, naturally, as Jerry wreaks havoc at a film studio which looks suspiciously like Paramount. All reports indicate that Hollywood and Bust was an unhappy shoot, with Jerry Lewis behaving so obstreperously that director Frank Tashlin ordered him off the set and told him to go home until he learned to behave himself; to this day, Lewis cannot bring himself to watch the film. Happily, the animosity between the two stars never comes across on screen, and as a result Hollywood or Bust is a most enjoyable diversion.

Customer Reviews:

Thanks Paramount for this collection!.......2007-07-04

If you are a fan of the comedy of Martin and Lewis then you should be proud to own this collection of their best movies! It comes at a right price that is affordable for everyone. My favorite is Living It Up! Hopefully we will see Three Ring Circus and Money From Home soon! First rate fun!

The Madcap Millieu.......2007-06-28

It was considered rather odd when C.S. Lewis, in the already oddly titled, but very readable book, An Experiment in Criticism, suggested not that there were different kinds of books, but different kinds of readers. As regards Jerry Lewis films, I'd suggest that there are different sorts of viewers. Briefly that means one sort like his films and another sort don't. I count myself firmly in the former camp, considering him one of the all time great comic talents. Having said that, however, these films are nevertheless very much of their era.

For one thing, they take that era entirely for granted in a way that other comic films don't. Laurel and Hardy's last film, Utopia, although in black and white, seems yet far more universal than these Lewis/ Martin films. Why? A few reasons come to mind. The easiest thing for Hollywood to write about is Hollywood. In that sense, Hollywood or Bust is the strangest film in this set. Strange because it takes the adventurers so long to get there. Thus it fails both as a road trip picture and the standard "making it in Hollywood" faire. That said, there are many great comic moments, which brings up the next point.

These films were obviously meant to showcase the duo's immense talents. In that sense, they are never acting in a movie as much as the movie is unrolling around them. This sort of star power is virtually unknown today, but in the 'fifties, it could easily cross into various media: movies, TV variety shows (adapted from radio), Las Vegas stand up. The Colgate Comedy Hour, using a format adapted from radio, embroiled the dashing duo in surprisingly long and involved comic sketches. As was the case with The Carol Burnett Show, this comedy could also include pathos and be very moving.

The five films in this set, unlike the first volume, are all in color and all but "Living It Up" are in widescreen format. They date from 1954- 1956, often considered the best years of television, and a unique time in the history of the movies. In general, color didn't make things more realistic, but lighter in tone. Movies didn't have to be good, they just had to have big stars, and be big, splashy productions. For that reason top billing on these films is given to "VistaVision," Paramount's patented theatrical technique.

The only other thing that mattered was the director. For that reason it's often former cartoon director Frank Tashlin. Jerry easily pulls off gags likely first done by Bugs Bunny, but he's almost alone among live stars in that regard. The worst example is in Tashlin's The Glass Bottom Boat, where Doris Day is thrown pell mell into a futuristic kitchen gone wild, as has been done in countless cartoons, and makes it a thoroughly forgettable scene. Likewise, Paul Linde seems to get his drag scene in that film from a Bugs/ Daffy 'toon. Compare this film, with so many random slapstick schticks that Doris can't help be out of her element, with Move Over Darling, where she's entirely in it. Then again, the Norman Taurog directed Pardners in this set comes off extremely well because underlying the extemporaneous antics of Martin and Lewis is an strong story line enabling them to play off of any and all Hollywood wild-west stereotypes.

Arguably, one ought not probe too closely into films meant merely for fun, but watching these films now simply shows how much movies have changed. The main reason is that while these films were meant for the big screen and a Saturday afternoon laugh fest, escapist faire if you will, but packed to give the most bang for the buck, later movies, while launched in theaters, find most of their life on TV. For this reason, the fantasy element in films like Artists and Models seems merely unnerving, breaking what little there is of dramatic tension in the romance scenes. To a degree this is one with Shakespeare, who never let the audience forget, with a wink, that "the play's the thing" and for whom marriage was the sign of a happy ending. My main discovery in this visually dazzling and many- sided film was how well Shirley MacLaine could dance.

Film buffs will have endless comments on these films, and the eight films in volume one make it almost too full to review. That said, the packaging is somewhat puzzling, in that the films are presented in both volumes without extras or commentary. Why isn't there an insert booklet giving some background? At any rate, most of the Lewis and Martin/ Lewis films are at last on DVD, and for one kind of audience (including this reviewer), that's more than enough reason to rejoice.

Two Masterpieces on Here, Unbeatable price.......2007-06-18

HOLLYWOOD OR BUST and (especially) ARTISTS AND MODELS are two of the greatest films of the 1950s. The director of both, Frank Tashlin, was the Hitchcock of lowbrow social satire. Both are at times visually and compositionally amazing.

The other three films are reasonable (at least LIVING IT UP), but Norman Taurog was pretty much a director-for-hire.

The tension between the two stars, for me at least, only makes these films more interesting, as it embodies the dissolution of post-classical Hollywood myth-making.

great transfer quality! very good value/package!.......2007-06-09

Hi Folks
these films look fabulous!! Many of them are VISTAVISION which was the absolute highest grade quality/size negative format from the 50's era.
I'm not going to deduct stars for what Isn't in this set...that's lame...this is 5 very well presented movies with many many laughs..some great songs and loads of fun...for a bit over $20? Geeez , how can you resist?
I can't explain Martin & Lewis to you ...if you don't know their work..start with volume 1 then this one..and don't avoid the Legendary Jerry set as its wonderful as well. Kids out there? Think Adam Sandler invented that character of his? watch Jerry...
and Dean is still the big brother we all wished we had..cool as heck and very protective of his idiot friend.

Paramount did a great job with this set.......2007-06-07

Martin & Lewis shine in this beautifully put together set of these fun and glossy movies. It's a treat, especially considering that 4 out of the 5 movies are produced in the great widescreen format of VistaVision - so the visual clarity is especially acute, plus all 5 movies are in color which is made fine use of, particularly in the whimsical 'Artists and Models'. The design of the DVD box - which opens up like a triptych - is excellent and includes reproductions of the 5 original movie posters plus a fine montage of stills from the movies. So enjoy 5 entertaining movies with the cool and suave Dean Martin and the manic brilliance of Jerry Lewis.

Average customer rating:

my boys bought this movie with their birthday money,and they wanted to take it back!!!
I Ron't?
Oh gosh...
Another knock out by Scooby Doo
Ok, Scooby Movie

Scooby Doo: Goes Hollywood
Starring: Don Messick , Casey Kasem , Frank Welker , Heather North , and Patricia Stevens
Director: Ray Patterson
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
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ASIN: B000063K1R
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Amazon.com

The only mystery here is whether Scoob will leave the Mystery Machine gang to go solo. Featuring a laugh track, some musical numbers (!), and the Great Dane hanging with such '70s icons as Charlie's Angels and a disco queen in Qiana, the framing for this 49-minute show is framed as a screen test for a show- biz heavyweight. Shaggy plays agent while his canine sidekick gets to play cowboy for a face-off at high noon and don a leather jacket to wow the ladies as a canine Fonz in "Scooby Days." This leaves Fred, Daphne, and Velma with frighteningly little to do. Originally a television special in 1979, this third--or so-- incarnation of Scooby-Doo and friends features the original series' voices (Casey Kasem, etc.), except for Velma (here voiced by Pat Stevens). Young Scooby fans (3 and up) will enjoy the humor, but Scooby purists will want to stick with the mysteries. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Customer Reviews:

my boys bought this movie with their birthday money,and they wanted to take it back!!!.......2006-05-27

being a good father when my boys saved up their money from their birthdays i told them they could get whatever they wanted with the money(within reason of course)and with the money they bought a batman toy each and pooled their money and found this dvd and bought it. they were so proud of what they had done(and i was proud of them for it too,the way they pooled their money together to get the dvd was very sweet)
after they watched it though they were very upset that it wasn't like the scooby they loved. they wanted their money back(and it fell to me to tell them that after it has been opened and watched they won't take it back),so after a few tears we took this lame dvd to a used store and TRADED it for a spider-man dvd that they liked much better!

I Ron't?.......2005-07-15

On the feature (2/5):
If this movie can contain Scooby's best moments, as it is really funny and very clever (Scooby Doo dressed up like John Travolta in a parody of Woody Allen's Radio Days), it can also be quite repetetive and can easily be considered as a pretty flawfull montage of all the Scooby Doo gags from all prior episodes and series. In a few words, you have seen this many times before.

On the DVD Edition (5/5):
I didn't expected with such a cheap price all this bonus features.
"Scooby Doo Yearbook" A 15 minutes insight look to all the Scooby Doo creative process, from how it was born to how they chose all those great actors to perform the Mystery Inc.Gang. With appearances of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera themselves.

Oh gosh..........2004-03-29

I'm sorry to disagree with the people who liked this film, but it wasn't very good at all. I know that Hanna-Barbera wants to make Scooby Doo a true star, BUT I think they chose the wrong plot for this movie. However, this movie had good points, but it's not good enough. Here are some of the pros/cons for this movie:

Pros:
The actors from Hollywood make their apperance.
They had spin-offs from the old films I loved.
The "Scooby Doo, We Need You" chant from America (which really touched me).

Cons:
Spin-Offs from the old films were WAAAYYY over the top. It was very confusing and too strange.
Flashbacks. I know that it's really good to see how Scooby was chosen by Mystery Inc., but not in a movie that is about Hollywood.
Shaggy. WHY??? Why did they have to treat Shaggy like crud?! It's not fair. I liked it better when he was Scooby's pal and always afraid with Scooby and the way he and Scooby are live baits and always trap the monster with courage in their hearts, but in this movie, it's all about Shaggy and the one word I'm looking for: DEMANDING!!! It's like in this movie he forgets that he's with Mystery Inc. and he wants Scooby to have a better career in Hollywood. All of those were completely wrong! Come on HB, this is my favorite character your treating very poorly!

Overall, I was disappointed in this movie. If you want to see Scooby and the TRUE Shaggy, pick up Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, or Scooby Doo and the Cyber Chase. However, if you really feel like Scooby deserves to be a movie star, go ahead and pick up this movie.

Another knock out by Scooby Doo.......2003-10-12

everybody who knows me knows I love me some Scooby Doo.Scooby is My Favorite&I never miss a episode&watch ever show.this one is fun&like the others I always enjoy the how they end.SCOOOOBYYYY DOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Ok, Scooby Movie.......2003-04-16

This film is ok. It is not one of Scooby's better movies. This film is my least favorite in the Scooby series. I do have it on VHS & DVD so I could have them all. I am only five to six DVDs away from having all of the Scooby DVDs. The only reason that I suggest buying this DVD is to have them all.

Average customer rating:

SLY SATIRE
Quite a worthy and entertaining film
Not Canada At Its Best

Hollywood North
Starring: Matthew Modine , Saul Rubinek , Alan Bates , Joe Cobden , and Deborah Kara Unger
Director: Peter O'Brian
Manufacturer: First Look Pictures
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ASIN: B0000JAUZ6
Release Date: 2004-01-06

Description

Bobby is the golden boy and everything in life has gone his way. Bored and looking for a challenge, he buys the film rights to "Lantern Moon," a classic and touching Canadian novel. Bobby, once again, is seeing gold. That's before Hollywood gets its hands on it. Through a riotous turn of events which sees an aging and manipulative actor's plunge into paranoid insanity, a novelist seeking damages for watching her life's work ruined, Bobby losing control of his ideal vision, and an on-hand documentary crew catching the debacle on film, "Lantern Moon" becomes "Flight to Bogota," and Bobby's dream spirals out of control.

Customer Reviews:

SLY SATIRE.......2004-08-25

HOLLYWOOD NORTH looked hilarious on the trailer I saw; the whole movie however is not what I expected. It's humor lies in the satirical look at how Hollywood can mess up a movie. Matthew Modine plays quite well the producer, Bobby, who gets the rights to a huge Canadian bestseller called "Lantern Moon." However, he is told by the investors and his executive producer (Alan Thicke) that they want a Hollywood star in the lead. This leads Modine to sign the egocentric, near lunatic Michael Baytes (played to perfection by Alan Bates). Bates is wrapped up in the Iranian hostage situation (movie is set in 1979) and he becomes convinced that the Iranians are plotting against him as well. He demands a rewrite, which ultimately has nothing to do with the original "Lantern Moon." The title is changed to "Flight to Bogota" and the story centers on an American Ambassador struggling for freedom in the Colombia.
There are many other subplots going on here: Jennifer Tilly is marvelous as the nymphomaniac leading lady; John Neville is the washed up director; Deborah Kara Unger is the documentary lady who is using Modine's money to finance her own movie, without his knowledge.
Eventually the movie loses its satirical focus and morphs into an attempted slapstick ending.
It has some good moments, but doesn't reach the level of excellence it should have.

Quite a worthy and entertaining film.......2004-05-12

I disagree with the previous reviewer of this film. I would concede that Hollywood North is certainly a little jumbled in places, and certainly could have been simplified (ie. elements such as a documentary film of the making of a film which itself is the focus of the story). One element alone justifies the rating I have given it - the performance of Alan Bates as the ageing, rancorous, bigoted, paranoid, coke-snorting Hollywood star Michael Baytes. It is a brilliant portrayal, despite the limitations imposed by the script. Essentially, Hollywood North is about the results that occur when two first-time producers attempt to make a film from a classic Canadian novel in the late 1970s. In addition to Michael Baytes and his rewrites that turn the gentle story into a one-dimensional, John Wayne-style action film, these naive producers have to contend with an over the hill director (John Neville), a nymphomaniacal lead actress (Jennifer Tilly), and various other problems. It is certainly not a perfect film, but it maintains an agreeably light/comic touch.

Not Canada At Its Best.......2004-05-08

Although I much admire Canadian humor and look forward to Canadian movies, I found this one a great disappointment. It promised to be a fine satire on both Canadian film aspirations and the absurdities of American pop culture. Instead it became an anti-American jumble of meaningless ideas.

Average customer rating:

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