Gracie's Choice

Starring:Kristen Bell, Diane Ladd, Shedrack Anderson III, Anne Heche, Roberta Maxwell, Kristin Fairlie, Brian Akins, David Gibson Mclean, Jack Armstrong (IV), Robert Seeliger, Sandra Caldwell, Diego Matamoros, Jackie Torrens, Roger Dunn, Cecil Wright, Jeremy Akerman, Michael Pellerin, Shaun Clark, Mark A. Owen, Desiree Adams
Director: Peter Werner (III)
Studio: Lifetime
Product Type: DVD

Product Description

Three soliders meet three girls at the famous canteen before going overseas in this star-studded film. Featuring apperances by Katharine Hepburn, Helen Hayes, Edgar Bergen, & Harpo Marx. Also featuring the bands of Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Guy Lombardo, and Freddy Martin.

Customer Reviews:

Variable and corny, but it has some high points.......2007-06-20

What to make of this wartime, home-front morale movie, which is loaded with star players and character actors? It has a slight story-line about four young American soldiers. They're about to ship overseas any day, but manage to visit the Stage Door Canteen just off Broadway, where the stars entertain, dance and talk with soldiers, cook and serve and wash the dishes. The four, of course, all have states as nicknames. One, the innocent California, longs for his first kiss; Tex meets a down-home girl at the Canteen; Jersey isn't seen much as he manages to marry his girlfriend; and Dakota, a young womanizer, meets at the Canteen a woman who's out for a career and they surprise each other by falling in love. All the while we have comedy bits from lots of actors, ranging from Harpo Marx to the distinctively odd couple of Franklin Pangborn and Johnnie Weismuller. We have any number of grande dames -- Helen Hayes, Lynn Fontanne, Judith Anderson, Katharine Cornell, among others, doing their home-trained impression of gracious American aristocracy.

We follow our four while they find that first kiss, relax with and long for the wholesome young ladies they talk and joke with, and rededicate themselves to fight for our American values. Of course, all of the soldiers in the packed Canteen are wholesome and white, and so are all the stars. More startling after nearly 65 years, with all that talent around, is how dated and corny the movie is. This is emotional propaganda, designed to entertain Americans at home, show them how all of America's stars support the war effort, and leave the audience tearing up over the possible fate of the soldiers they've just met...but determined to rededicate themselves to the war effort that will bring the soldiers back safe and victorious. All those heart strings Hollywood pulls, however, are so visible we know when we're being manipulated into a sob or a smile.

Equally unnerving is how dated so many of the comedy bits and musical numbers seem now. Ray Bolger does a specialty number written for him by Rodgers & Hart, singing and dancing to "The Girl I Love to Leave Behind." The dancing is great but the song sure isn't. Amidst all the comedy and the soldiers' love stories we suddenly have Yehudi Menuhin pulling out his violin and playing a carefully lighted Ave Maria...followed by the frenetic Flight of the Bumble Bee. Even odder is Gracie Fields, that dynamic English musical hall star. She does a raucous, energetic, mugging specialty song about "killing Japanese," (she uses the now-offensive shortened version of the word), which has the boys cheering...then announces she's been requested by one young soldier to sing "The Lord's Prayer." Huh?

There are a number of highlights, and seeing all these stars and entertainers doing their stuff is probably worth the price of the movie. A young Peggy Lee fronts the Benny Goodman Orchestra with "Why Don't You Do Right?," Charley McCarthy and Edgar Bergen have a funny routine, Ethel Waters sings with the Count Basie Orchestra, and Lannie Ross, a long-forgotten orchestra crooner sings a great and long-forgotten WWII ballad...the poignant and romantic "We Mustn't Say Goodbye," lyrics by Al Dubin and music by James V. Monaco.

In dreams we'll always be together
Beneath the moonlit sky
We mustn't say goodbye

Each night I'll push aside the mountains
I'll drain the oceans dry
We mustn't say goodbye

I promise you that when the postman rings
My heart will be inside
The envelope he brings

Oh, don't you know the memories we gathered
Can never, never die
We mustn't say goodbye

If you have a chance to hear the Jo Stafford version, you'll be in tears.

Last but not least in oddity, we have the Kate Hepburn closing. Dakota and Eileen decided to get married at the Canteen, and she shows up to meet him there. He never appears. Then a soldier appears and tells her and her friends that Dakota's unit unexpectedly shipped out that morning. Dakota told him to find Eileen and tell her that he loves her. He'll return from the fighting and they'll be married then. Eileen starts to run from the Canteen in tears, when suddenly this mannishly dressed, angular woman stops her. With her face about three inches from Eileen's, Hepburn delivers an understanding but extremely firm lecture that Eileen's duty now is to return to the Canteen and do her job, just as Dakota is doing his job, and that we at the home-front can do no less than what our soldiers are doing fighting for us. Eileen wipes away the tears, and with a tremulous smile walks towards the waiting solders to dance and talk and just listen to their dreams and hopes. Fade to black.

This is a public domain title. The version I saw was barely watchable, so buyer beware.

Home Front during WWII.......2007-06-04

I watched "Stage Door Canteen" the other night primarily because Katherine Hepburn was in the cast (as one of many cameo appearances). I must admit that I was having a hard time figuring out her eventual impact on the movie but she played an important role at the end of the film. The basic plot of this film is secondary to the entertainment. However, the two work together well. We see several GI's on leave 24 hours before they ship off. They are directed to the Stage Door Canteen where four-star meals are served to servicement with five-star entertainment and pristine but friendly young ladies waiting to dance of talk. It's in between the dancing and talking that most viewers will find the movie enjoyable. I don't recall all of the acts (some of whom I never heard of) but Benny Goodman, Xavier Cugat, Gypsy Rose Lee, Count Basie, Harpo Marx and the aforementioned Katherine Hepburn tooks turns on (and off) the stage. Some of the music was very good and some wasn't. There was also some exceptional amateur (I think) dancing highlighted on the floor. The plot seemed to get in the way at times but our soldier boys kept getting another 24-hour leave to keep the entertainment going. If nothing else, the "plot" gave some of us pause to reflect on war-time romances by seeing a few get started.

The movie is a bit long (over two hours) and would have benefitted from jetisonning a mediocre song or two and half of the plot. However, there are a couple of songs that staid with me so I'd better keep this tape if I want to hear them again.

Stage Door Canteen.......2007-05-13

What a delightful music video. So many stars in this movie that one can't count them all. A real classic that everyone should watch with a friend in the military.

Complete at last!.......2007-01-21

I rejoice to say that this version of Stage Door Canteen (Critic's Choice Edition) is the real thing, uncut, with all the vaudeville and band performances intact. I'll bet I've bought this movie, either in VHS or DVD formats, 4 or 5 times at least. Each version would be missing at least one segment, usually more. And each time it'd be different segments! Now all the bands (Xavier Cugat, Kay Kyser, Count Basie with Ethel Waters, Benny Goodman with Peggy Lee, Freddy Martin and Guy Lombardo) are here, as well as all the comic and musical bits I've seen over the years.

If you've never seen the movie, it ain't no great shakes in the drama department, but it is an unforgettable look at both a galaxy of Hollywood, stage and radio stars and at the kind of American culture and attitude that won World War Two. If you're a fan of the 30s-40s pop culture, love old radio, swing music, or if you have a sentimental love for this time in American history, give it a look. Just make sure it's this version!

mesmerizing.......2006-07-13

Stage door canteen is star-studded. The many cameo appearances and stage performances were interwoven nicely, the story intact and fluid. Though not recognising many of the stars, I can't help being impressed by the professional performances and the unquestionable support for the soldiers. Most noted among the performances were The Lord's Prayer (Gracie Fields), Ave Maria and The Flight of Bumble Bee (Yehudi Menuhin)on violin and piano accompaniment, Good night Sweetheart (Kenny Baker) as well as the puppet performances. The beautiful music elicited undivided attention and respect from the soldiers, the mood infectious across the screen. A young soldier lining up for food recognized the orange lady as the famous lady playing Juliet. Thus began the recital of the lines of Romeo and Juliet the play.

The version (not this one) I watched was not digitally restored. Yet it somehow delivered a powerful message. Emotional support from the young waitresses, dish washing and cooking by the show people, food donation from everywhere offered a unified and unreserved support for the young soldiers who were known as Dakota, Jersey, California (named after the places they come from). Simple rules that the waitresses could not meet soldiers outside the canteen and staff could not taste the leftover (such as rationed coffee) were enforced effectively. Back then, things were simpler, more black and white.

Average customer rating:

HORRIBLE QUALITY!!!

Rod Sterling's: Patterns
Starring: Sr. Ed Begley , Michael Dreyfuss , Andrew Duggan , Sally Gracie , and Van Heflin
Director: Fielder Cook
Manufacturer: Critic's Choice
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Playhouse 90 - Requiem for a Heavyweight
Encounter With The Unknown
Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) (Ws Sub)
Rod Serling's Night Gallery - The Complete First Season
The Golden Age of TV Drama

ASIN: B0007CHQ94
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Product Description

The Twilight Zone was still three years away when Rod Serling wrote Patterns (1956/83 min.), the prescient tale of Machiavellian maneuvering at a large corporation. Serlings later masterpieces harken back to many of these plot elements, including a well-placed twist at the end. A bonus short film, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1962/28 min.), which aired as a Twilight Zone episode, is included. It is the strange tale of a man who escapes a Civil War-era lynching, staggering his way back home. B&w/ NR

Customer Reviews:

HORRIBLE QUALITY!!!.......2005-06-12

This dvd of PATTERNS put out by Critics Choice Video has really bad audio and video. A really good dvd of this great Rod Serling film is the one put out by Roan Group (RYKO dist.). I have a few Critics Choice Video titles and the only one that has good audio and video is the old Brian Donlevy television series "Dangerous Assignment". PATTERNS is a great film, but you'd better pass on this transfer of it.

Average customer rating:

Burns & Allen Show 2 (B&W)
Starring: Burns & Allen Show
Manufacturer: Critic's Choice
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Television | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Burns and Allen Show, Vol. 3
The Burns & Allen Show - Volume One
The Burns and Allen Show: Teen-Age Space Girls/Free Trip to Hawaii/Home Wedding/Gracie's Car Accident
The Burns and Allen Show: Harry Morton's Secretary/Beverly Hills Uplift Society/Dance Lessons/Gracie's
The Best of the Burns and Allen Show, Vol. 1 and 2

ASIN: B0009OPM6E
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Product Description

George and Gracie started the now-common stereotypical ditzy wife and third-person narration as well as some daring plots to say the least. Here are four timeless episodes from a pair of real comic geniuses: Book Salesman (10/12/50), Gracie Gives a Wedding (9/13/51), Surprise Birthday Party (11/8/51) and The Fortune Teller (2/11/57). B&w/104 min/NR.

Average customer rating:

The Burns and Allen Show, Vol. 3
Starring: Burns & Allen Show
Manufacturer: Critic's Choice
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Television | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Burns & Allen Show 2 (B&W)
The Burns & Allen Show - Volume One
The Burns and Allen Show: Teen-Age Space Girls/Free Trip to Hawaii/Home Wedding/Gracie's Car Accident
The Best of the Burns and Allen Show, Vol. 1 and 2
The Burns and Allen Show: Harry Morton's Secretary/Beverly Hills Uplift Society/Dance Lessons/Gracie's

ASIN: B0009P3DI2
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Product Description

Three great Burns & Allen showes to see on this DVD. Tax Auditor (11-16-50) Harry Morton's Private Secretary (11-23-50) Gracie's Checking Account (12-7-50) the Beverly Hills Uplift Society (10-11-51):

Life Time (14 Pack) Baby for Sale / Comfort and Joy / Confessions of an American Bride / Gracie's Choice / Homeless to Harvard / The Liz Murray Story / I Do (But I Don't) / Obsessed / Sex and the Single Mom / She's Too Young / The Plain Truth / Widow on the Hill / Lies My Mother Told Me / Murder in the Hamptons / Ambulance Girl / Mom at Sixteen / Too Young to Be a Dad

Average customer rating:

Life Time (14 Pack) Baby for Sale / Comfort and Joy / Confessions of an American Bride / Gracie's Choice / Homeless to Harvard / The Liz Murray Story / I Do (But I Don't) / Obsessed / Sex and the Single Mom / She's Too Young / The Plain Truth / Widow on the Hill / Lies My Mother Told Me / Murder in the Hamptons / Ambulance Girl / Mom at Sixteen / Too Young to Be a Dad

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Product Description

Life Time Original Movie - Plain Truth, A Look at Plain Truth with the Cast and Crew - Additional Scene Life Time Original Movie - Baby For Sale , A Look at Baby for Sale with the Cast and Crew - Addtional Scene Life Time Original Movie - She's too young , A Look at She's Too Young with Cast and Crew Life Time Original Movie - I do (but I Don't) , A Look at I do (But I don't) with Cst and Crew - Additional Scene Life Time Original Movie - Homeless to Harvard , Interview with LIZ Murray Life Time - Murder in the Hamptons -,Special Features: A look at Murder In The Humptons With The Cast And Crew Life Time - Sex And The Single Mom,Special Features: A Look At Sex And The Single Mom With The Cast And Crew Life Time - Gracie's Choice ,Special Features: A Look at Gracie's Choice with the Cast and Crew Life Time - Confessions of an American Bride, Special Features: A Look at Confessions of an American Bride with the Cast and Crew - Additional Scenes Life Time - Comfort and Joy -,DVD Bonus: Cast and Filmmaker Interviews Life Time - Obsessed ,Special Features: Behind-The-Scenes Interviews Life Time - Widow on the Hill / Lies My Mother Told Me ,-Special Features: - A Look at Widow on the Hill with the cast and Crew - A Look at Lies My Mother Told Me with the Cast and Crew - Addtional Scenes on Both Life time - Ambulance GirlLife time 2 disc double feature (Mom at Sixteen / Too Young to Be a Dad),Special Features: A Look at Man at Sixteen with Cast and Crew

Average customer rating:

The Burns & Allen Show - Volume One
Starring: Burns & Allen Show
Manufacturer: Critic's Choice
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Television | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Burns & Allen Show 2 (B&W)
The Burns and Allen Show, Vol. 3
The Burns and Allen Show: Teen-Age Space Girls/Free Trip to Hawaii/Home Wedding/Gracie's Car Accident
The Burns and Allen Show: Harry Morton's Secretary/Beverly Hills Uplift Society/Dance Lessons/Gracie's
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show Volume 2 (DVD) 3 episodes

ASIN: B0009OID1K
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Product Description

Its not a stretch to say that every husband-and-wife sitcom that followed borrowed a tune or two from radio vets George and Gracie. Includes Income Tax Man (3/1/51), Teenage Girl Spends the Weekend (4/26/51), Free Trip to Hawaii (10/9/52) and Space Patrol Girls (date unknown). B&w/100 min/NR.

Average customer rating:

All Around
touching
Gracie's Choice
Inspiring Story!
Very Good for a "Lifetime" Movie

Gracie's Choice
Starring: Kristen Bell , Diane Ladd , Shedrack Anderson III , Anne Heche , and Roberta Maxwell
Director: Peter Werner (III)
Manufacturer: Lifetime
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Homeless to Harvard - The Liz Murray Story
Mom at Sixteen/Too Young to Be a Dad
She's Too Young
She Fought Alone (True Stories Collection TV Movie)
Fifteen and Pregnant

ASIN: B000679MF6
Release Date: 2005-01-18

Description

Gracie Thompson hasn't been so much brought up as dragged through life by her manipulative, drug-addled mother. Missing meals, dodging cops and landlords, changing schools the way most kids change socks, Gracie and her sister and brothers, each the product of a different dead-beat dad, seem to have hit the skids. Then Gracie makes a choice to get a job, succeed in school, find stability. And her choice isn't just for herself. At the age of 17, she decides to be the mother, emotionally and legally, her siblings never had.

Customer Reviews:

All Around.......2007-04-03

My attention was first drawn to this movie because Kristen Bell of the CW's Veronica Mars is in it. After reading the discription I knew I had to purchase it and I am glad I did. Not only was it a perfect cast and the acting terrific but the movie all around was fantastic. I know it was based on a true story and that made it all the more captivating. I highly recommend this movie.

touching.......2007-03-09

Im not much of a lifetime movie fan but Im a huge Kristen Bell fan so i bought this just for that and i found myself loving this movie it is a touching story Kristen Bell is very endearing in this roll im not a big Anne Heche fan but she was good as the neglectful drug abusing mother
This is a true story of hope and unconditional love

Gracie's Choice.......2006-11-09

It's amazing how Gracie rose to the situation. How many other young children could or would do what she did. Just to keep her family together. Too bad the State didn't step in along time before they did.

Inspiring Story!.......2006-06-17

WOW!! I thought this movie was fantastic! We as people always think we have it bad until we hear someone elses story. It was truly inspiring to see a 17 year old girl become a woman so that she could raise her siblings and give them a life that she never had. What a strong and courageous girl she was!!! You gotta see this movie!

Very Good for a "Lifetime" Movie.......2005-06-12

For a movie on "Lifetime," this picture is very high quality, very perceptive. It is a story of how a teenager has to survive with a highly disfunctional, self-centered, drug-addicted mother. Her courage is very exciting to watch, and her tremendous efforts are rewarded in the end. You must see this movie.

DVD:

DVD

Force 10 From Navarone (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Invisible Mom 2

Der kleine Dino