The Harvey Girls

Starring:Judy Garland, John Hodiak, Ray Bolger, Preston Foster, Virginia O'Brien, Angela Lansbury, Marjorie Main, Chill Wills, Kenny Baker (II), Selena Royle, Cyd Charisse, Ruth Brady, Catherine McLeod, Jack Lambert, Edward Earle, William 'Bill' Phillips, Norman Leavitt, Morris Ankrum, Ben Carter, Mitchell Lewis
Director: George Sidney (II)
Studio: Turner Home Ent
Product Type: DVD

Product Description

Musical western about a mail order bride who ditches her bashful suitor and joins a group of women intent on opening a remote whistle stop restaurant.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Sometimes lively, sometimes pokey, this Technicolor MGM musical inspires mixed feelings in aficionados of the form--except on one point. No viewer will question why "On the Atchison, Topeka, & the Santa Fe" won the best song Oscar for 1946. This is a brilliant, inventive song given an epic staging. Director George Sidney pulls out all the stops for this wowser--even Marjorie Main sings, an eardrum-testing sound. The real-life Harvey Girls were waitresses imported to the far-flung Fred Harvey Hotels, civilizing oases along the railroad lines out west. The fictional Harvey Girls is set in Sandrock, where the traveling waitresses are joined by a sort of mail-order bride (Judy Garland) whose prospective husband is a bust--he's a roughhewn rancher played by Chill Wills. Garland is in fine spunky form; unfortunately, her romance is with John Hodiak (as the owner of a dance hall), that uninspiring World War II-era lead. The film's other great Johnny Mercer-Harry Warren song is the unexpectedly melancholy "It's a Great Big World," performed in a lovely trio by Garland, Virginia O'Brien, and the young Cyd Charisse. The tall, deadpan O'Brien also does a comic take on "The Wild, Wild West" while shoeing a horse. With kewpie-faced Angela Lansbury as a bespangled dance-hall gal and Ray Bolger high-stepping through a dance solo, there are enough good people on board to keep the wheels a-turning "all the way to Californ-eye-yay." --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Oldies but goodies!!.......2007-02-24

Absolutely loved it !! I love any movie with Judy Garland in it!

The Harvey Girls.......2007-01-22

A must see for any Judy Garland fan. Home of The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe - a classic!!

Not historically very accurate, but a good western/musical.......2006-12-30

I probably saw The Harvey Girls when I was much younger, but if I did, I don't remember anything about it. The movie was released in 1945, a year before I was born. The movie has aged better than I have!

I bought the DVD after reading the book "The Harvey Girls" by Lesley Poling-Kempes. The book gives a fascinating look at the Harvey Girls and the Fred Harvey hotels and restaurants that helped civilize the wild west. If you watch the movie expecting to see a historically accurate depiction of Harvey houses and Harvey Girls, you'll be disappointed. The movie gives at best a very superficial view of the Fred Harvey system and his Harvey Girls.

Having said that, however, I enjoyed the movie. It's an old fashioned musical with a wild west setting, and it's pretty good to boot. Judy Garland is at her absolute peak, as are a screenful of other superb actors and actresses. The musical numbers are mostly good, but "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" is a classic (and it was the Academy Award Best Song in 1946).

The story line involving Judy Garland and John Hodiak is fairly predictable, but it's still fun to watch it develop. And this movie can be watched by everyone in the family without any embarrassment.

No, they don't make 'em like this any more, and maybe that's a bad thing.

Some additional material, including deleted musical numbers and a director commentary are nice touches to the DVD.

The Harvey Girls review.......2006-11-04

I really enjoyed the movie. The story background is the Fred Harvey restaurants and concessions at train stations. My father worked for Fred Harvey at the Chicago and Cleveland facilities.

Regarding the movie and Judy Garland - The movie is great and Judy was one of my favorite entertainers.

Lane Hansen

An engaging and nostalgic musical, with a fresh-faced Judy Garland (and Angela Lansbury, who almost steals the movie).......2006-07-05

The Harvey Girls is hard to beat for sheer corny, likable nostalgia. Is it one of the great MGM musicals? Not in my opinion. The narrative is too long, John Hodiak isn't an intriguing romantic lead and some of the comic relief is too broad. Still, the movie carries with it such a high degree of good-natured professionalism that it's easy to like. The story itself is uncomplicated. A group of Harvey girls arrive at Sandrock, Arizona, to open a Harvey House, one of many restaurants Fred Harvey was establishing along the western rail lines. A Harvey House offered good, wholesome food and good, wholesome company. Susan Bradley (Judy Garland) joins them when she and her groom-to-be (Chill Wills) decide in a friendly way that their mail-order marriage arrangement wasn't such a good idea. Determined to stop the Harvey House girls are Ned Trent (John Hodiak) and Sam Purvis (Preston Foster), owners of the Alhambra, a wide-open saloon, dance hall and gambling establishment across the street from the new Harvey House. Em (Angela Lansbury), the dance hall star, doesn't like the competition, either, especially when Susan and Ned begin to notice each other.

Great movie musical or not, there are many things to enjoy. Judy Garland dominates the movie. She was 23 when she made it. Despite her immense talent and almost unnatural professional skills (I mean this as a compliment), there is an innocence about her in this movie which seems fresh and unforced. She handles the comedy and pratfalls in a very winning way. Angela Lansbury steals the scenes she has with everyone except Garland, and comes close even there. Lansbury moves from a woman with a mercenary heart who is more complex than we first think to a woman who not only is willing to concede defeat to Susan when it comes to Ned, but who is instrumental in finally bringing the two together. Lansbury was 21, doesn't seem that young for an instant and was already proving her skills as an actress. The songs by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer, with one exception, never became well known on their own but they serve the story extremely well. As usual, Mercer's lyrics capture the style of the characters and are worth listening to carefully. He was among the very best at writing lyrics that were character-driven and conversational. One particularly nice song is "It's a Great Big World," a charming combination of ruefulness and romantic hope sung by Garland, Virginia O'Brien and Cyd Charisse:

I had no petticoat trimmed with lace,
My angel cake was a pure disgrace,
My face was my fortune, my mother said,
And my dancing slippers of bright, bright red.
A million miles I have danced, or more,
In hopes Prince Charming would cross the floor,
I can't understand it, I've waltzed and I've whirled,
But my goodness me it's a great big world.
And it's cold, cold, cold,
And we'll soon be old.
But I'll keep on knitting and doing it well,
My slippers are one thing I never will sell,
My petticoat's waiting because who can tell?
It's a great big world, it's a great big world.

The big hit, "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," is featured in an eight-minute production number at the start of the movie. It's just about worth the price of the DVD.

Do you hear that whistle down the line?
I figure that it's engine number forty nine,
She's the only one that'll sound that way.
On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe.
See the ol' smoke risin' 'round the bend,
I reckon that she knows she's gonna meet a friend,
Folks around these parts get the time o' day
From the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe.

The number is an fine example of the full-throttle MGM style...hundreds of extras taking part, different characters telling in song their stories as well as the story of what the Harvey girls were all about, the introduction of nearly all the main or featured characters, plus cowboys, horses, buckboard wagons, lariats and a giant, polished steam engine moving down the tracks...all wrapped up in this memorable and catchy song. The featured characters all have their own stories and are used in different ways. Some, such as Ray Bolger, Marjorie Main, Chill Wills and Virginia O'Brien, are used as comedy relief, some with their own numbers, others such as Cyd Charisse and Kenny Baker bring low-key subplots to the story. The look of the movie adds immeasurably to its charm...bright, Technicolor sets and costumes, perfect outdoor scenery, cowboys in immaculate pastel shirts, the bargirls in ostrich feathers and risque (but not too risque) costumes and the Harvey girls in their prim dresses and starched aprons. And all the girls, whether they work in the dance-hall or in Fred Harvey's restaurant, are gorgeous.

There's also one other bit of nice nostalgia. Six years previously, when Garland was 17 and made to look like she was 12, she and Ray Bolger as her friend the scarecrow were skipping down the yellow brick road on a wonderful adventure. With The Harvey Girls, Garland has become a young woman on the brink of romance, and Bolger is still next to her as her friend.

The DVD presentation is excellent. The extras include an interesting, perceptive commentary recorded 50 years after the movie was made by the director, George Stevens.

Average customer rating:

Ohhhh My.. :(
No redemptive value anywhere but great for a laugh!
A hilarious spoof on women prison flicks.
Awesome,powerful drama
Exploitive? How about BORING?!!

Girls in Prison
Starring: Missy Crider , Anne Heche , Ione Skye , Nicolette Scorsese , and Bahni Turpin
Director: John McNaughton
Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006472X
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Description

Big-screen stars Anne Heche (SIX DAYS, SEVEN NIGHTS) and Ione Skye (ONE NIGHT STAND) heat up the big house in this cool and campy takeoff of "women-behind-bars" movies! Aggie is a sweet young songstress having a hard time making it in the sleazy music biz ... though it's not nearly as hard as the "time" she'll have to do for a murder she didn't commit! Yet even in the slammer, she's targeted by the same shady characters responsible for her fiendish frame-up! Featuring some of Hollywood's most memorable "bad-girl" performances, including the year's steamiest shower scene -- you're sure to get caught up as Aggie fights to be declared innocent before she's silenced forever!

Customer Reviews:

Ohhhh My.. :(.......2001-12-23

Not too much to be said in a redeeming factor here. I think Ann Heche is a fabulous actor. I think shes even more cuter now, that she's 5 months pregnant..:)

However this movie, was a waste of my time and money. It had one or two shower scenes that lasted a few minutes. It had NO mean bully guards, that did awful things to the woman at night. Has prison reform really been this good.??

Listen rent it if your fan of Ann as I am, but save your money on buying it.

No redemptive value anywhere but great for a laugh!.......2000-01-29

I don't know what film some people have been seeing, but this movie is TERRIBLE! Poorly scripted, transparent plot, bad acting and ridiculous set design reduced this movie to barely tolerable. If you look at it as a parody of women-in-prison porn, you'll enjoy it. A little.

A hilarious spoof on women prison flicks........1999-05-26

This little gem is so campy you have to love it. Anne Heche is very funny as the "queen of mean" and all the actors do a terrific job. It is a very funny spoof of all those serious women- behind-bars movies (not to mention one of the most popular Charlie's Angels episodes), but this one is made just for laughs and it works!

Awesome,powerful drama.......1999-05-16

The cast did a wondefful job.Superb performance and brilliant direction.It explored lives and thoughts of women in cold,dark world behind bars. Thers's NO bitchy guards whipping big-boobs prisoners.If you want that stuff,rent the porno and stay away from this movie.

Exploitive? How about BORING?!!.......1999-04-09

Why do people even bother making women-in-prison films when they don't understand what their audience is looking for? I mean, nobody REALLY wants to see the serious side of what goes on behind bars --- it's mostly dull and uninteresting, right? So when I rented this video, I expected the fun stuff --- the mean, bitchy guards and their cold, dykey warden, preying on their pretty little helpless female prisoners. This should include at least two or three shower scenes, and at least one nocturnal visit between barely clad cellmates! But this movie had NONE OF THIS! It was a poorly-scripted soap-opera, with a totally forgettable script. Note to director: Next time, stick to life on the outside!

The Judy Garland Signature Collection (A Star is Born / The Wizard of Oz / The Harvey Girls / Love Finds Andy Hardy / In the Good Old Summertime / Ziegfeld Girl / For Me and My Gal)

Average customer rating:

Judy fans will be delighted
This is a good view of her talent
"films of the little girl with a big voice ~ Judy Garland"

The Judy Garland Signature Collection (A Star is Born / The Wizard of Oz / The Harvey Girls / Love Finds Andy Hardy / In the Good Old Summertime / Ziegfeld Girl / For Me and My Gal)
Starring: Judy Garland
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

Signature Collections | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

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( J ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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Musicals & Performing Arts | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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The Classic Musicals Collection - Broadway to Hollywood (Easter Parade Two Disc Special Edition / The Band Wagon Two Disc Special Edition / Bells Are Ringing / Finian's Rainbow / Brigadoon)

ASIN: B0001Q4CZM
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Description

Judy! Judy! Judy! Judy Garland: The Signature Collection includes 7 of Judy's unforgettable performances including A Star is Born and The Wizard of Oz! The Collection also includes 4 new-to-DVD titles starring the legendary Judy Garland: Love Finds Andy Hardy, In the Good Old Summertime, Ziegfeld Girl, and For Me and My Gal. A great Mother's Day gift!

Customer Reviews:

Judy fans will be delighted.......2006-11-03

Some of Judy's finest works in great form. "A Star is Born" and "Wizard of Oz" would justify the price by themselves. The rest is great gravy.

This is a good view of her talent.......2004-06-29

Judy was a magnificent talent with personal problems that makes it amazing that she could produce such beutiful prductions. These movies are a very good cross section of her talent. The Andy Hardy series was a wonderful joining of two great talents that represent a part of her career that many have been the happiest. There are many others that could have been chosen, but whatever was put in would require taking something out. I think "The Wizard" was the one waste, since there are much better copies out, and another Judy and Mickey would have been more fun.
But at least these are great, and others can be bought.

"films of the little girl with a big voice ~ Judy Garland".......2004-06-03

Growing up in the midwest, all the entertainment came from the movies ~ "Judy Garland:The Signature Collection", featuring the golden age of musicals starring our favorite female lead at MGM Studio, Miss Judy Garland. Her voice and talent takes you into the world of make believe...are you ready...well here goes!

Let's start with "FOR ME AND MY GAL"(1942), featuring George Murphy and Gene Kelly (with commentary by Garland biographer John Fricke/vintage shorts/radio programs/audio outtakes/theatrical trailer) ~ "THE HARVEY GIRLS"(1945), featuring Ray Bolger, John Hodiak, Angela Lansbury and Preston Foster (commentary by director George Sidney/3 deleted musical numbers/music cue sessions/theatrical trailer) and "On The Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe" remixed in stereo ~ "IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME"(1949), featuring Van Johnson, S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall, Spring Byington, Buster Keaton and Nellie Burke (introduction by Garland biographer John Fricke/Vintage Fitzpatrick Traveltalks Shorts/theatrical trailers of this film, "The Shop Around The Corner and "You've Got Mail) ~ "LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY"(1938), featuring Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Cecilia Parker and Fay Holden (introduction by Garland biographer John Fricke with Ann Rutherford/Leo is on the air radio promo/Andy Hardy trailer gallery) ~ "A STAR IS BORN"(1954), featuring James Mason, Jack Carson, Charles Bickford and Tom Noonan (special features: documentary network telecast of Hollywood premiere and newsrell coverage of Post-Premiere Party/3 alternate filings of "The Man That Got Away"/deleted song "When My Sugar Walks Down The Street"/soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1/theatrical trailers of the 1937, 1954 and 1976 film versions) ~ "THE WIZARD OF OZ"(1939), featuring Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Berlahr, Jack Haley and Margaret Hamilton (behind-the-scenes documentary/"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" & "The Making of a Movie Classic" hosted by Angela Lansbury/vintage movie & cartoon clips/theatrical trailers/outtake musical numbers/cast interviews and much, much more) ~ "ZIEGFELD GIRLS"(1941), featuring James Stewart, Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner, Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper and Edward Everett Horton (introduction by Garland biographer John Fricke/vintage musical short/Our Gang short "Melodies Old and New"/2 outtakes the musical number "Too Beautiful To Last and a deleted "We Must Have Music Finale"/theatrical trailers of this film, "The Great Ziegfeld" and "Ziegfeld Follies") ~ all new digital transfer.

The clarity of picture and the re-mastered sound of each film is overwhelming ~ Garland is at her captivating best ~ each cue is an eye full with behind the scenes that every collector will cherish...gotta love it!

Description

A hunka-hunka burnin' excitement comes your way in three Elvis Presley movie romps. Former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley teams with rock's renowned King for the Arabian daze and nights of Harum Scarum (Disc 1/Side A). Next, these beauts are made for watchin' as go-go-booted Nancy Sinatra plays an IRS tax collector and Elvis portrays a top World 600 stock-car driver in Speedway (Disc 1/Side B). Finally, Presley takes on a change-of-pace role in The Trouble with Girls (Disc 2), starring as the white-suited impresario of a traveling 1927 tent show that brings its novelty acts, lectures and musical harmonies to Radford Center, Iowa. Songs, romance, Americana and co-stars Vincent Price and Sheree North - that's the kind of trouble we'd all like to have!

Customer Reviews:

Great movies!.......2007-03-25

Loved them at the movies as a kid and love them now too! Elvis is great sound quality is wonderful!

Good price, but..........2006-11-01

double sided disc?

I don't know... I don't like the idea of those discs.
They are bound to have more scratches, fingerprints and so on when you manipulate them.
When you put the disc back in the case, you will leave marks on the disc, unless you wear cotton gloves or something.

Apart from that, it's a GREAT deal, excellent price for 3 movies, if you don't already have them.
I'd give it 5 stars if the set was for 3 discs, and not 2 (one being double-sided)

Enjoy!
:)

Charlie Rose with Harvey L. Pitt; James D. Watson; Calvin Trillin (April 25, 2002)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Harvey L. Pitt; James D. Watson; Calvin Trillin (April 25, 2002)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Educational | Genres | DVD | Video

Description

Chairman of the Security and Exchange Commission Harvey Pitt discusses the Enron scandal and his plans for reform at the SEC. Also, Charlie has a conversation with Nobel laureate James D. Watson, co-discoverer of DNA's structure, on his new book Genes, Girls, and Gamow. Third, comic writer Calvin Trillin discusses his book Tepper Isn't Going Out.

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