Reviews

Mel Brooks spoofs the films of Alfred Hitchcock with hilarious results. High Anxiety is not his very very best, but is a laugh riot. Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman are both hysterical as of course is Madeline Kahn once again. It is actually Cloris Leachman who steals the film. Ron Carey, Howard Morris, Dick Van Patten and the rest of the cast are great too. The only thing that bothers me Mel is in too many of the scenes. The shower scene as great as it is, should have been shot with Madeline Kahn in the shower. She really was so beautiful in this movie. The title song is wonderful. I can't understand why this is not on DVD yet. Maybe they are waiting for the 30th anniversary in 2007. I hope if it does come out it contains a lot of deleted scenes. If you have not seen this one, you must.

It may be no Young Frankenstein, but it has 3 of the films stars. Gene Wilder wrote, directed and stars as Sigerson Holmes. The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother is not a classic but it has its fair share of laughs. Madeline Kahn plays the damsel in distress Jenny Hill and she as always is a pleasure to watch and hear her sing. Marty Feldman is great as Orvile Scaker the detectives partner. Dom DeLuise also has a small role as an opera singer. Britsh actor Leo McKern is wonderful as Professor Moriarty. I wish these actors would have done more movies together. The 1970's did make its share of great comedies and a lot of them starred either Gene Wilder and Madeline Kahn. They could have been a great love team if they had only done more films with one another. They were so well matched. Why this is not on DVD is a mystery in itself.

Young Frankenstein is the classic of all time classic comedies. Mel Brooks directed, in my opinion his masterpiece of all his films. Filmed so beautifully in black and white. Gene Wilder is so sensational as Frederick Frankenstein and Madeline Kahn is once again so incredible as ever as his fiancé Elizabeth. I wish the film would have been in color just to see her beautiful red hair shine. Peter Boyle is wonderful as the monster. Marty Feldman as Igor is phenomenal. Cloris Leachman is hysterical as the housekeeper Frau Blucher. Kenneth Mars is great as Inspector Kemp. Gene Hackman has an uproarious cameo as a blind man and Teri Garr is very sexy and funny as Inga, the doctors assistant. The whole cast is outstanding. Not many films have a unique cast in one great movie.

Anyone who has seen this film knows all the classic lines. Mel Brooks is getting ready to bring Young Frankenstein to Broadway as a musical, he may strike gold with it and probably do a film of the musical, but it can never be as good as this gem. The DVD is great to own and has lots of extras and some facts about the making of the film. One for instance is that Teri Garr got the part of Inga, because Madeline Kahn was offered the part first but felt the smaller part of Elizabeth was better for her. It was a far smaller role, but she put her stamp on it and stole every scene she was in. She should have been nominated for another Oscar for this role and could have one it too. That is the only one thing about the film that does bother me, that she is in only a few scenes, but when she is on screen its pure magic. She is so sexy and passionately funny in every word she speaks.

Sullivan's Travels has got to be one of the best film comedies ever made. Preston Stugres wrote and directed his by far, very best movie here. Joel McCrea plays a film comedy film director named John L. Sullivan, who decides to make a drama about hard times. He goes on the road posing as a hobo to do his. Along the way he meets a girl played by Veronica Lake. The girl as she is billed that way, decides to join Sullivan on his travels.

The way this film goes from screwball comedy to melodrama and back to comedy is amazing. Joel McCrea is so great and Veronica Lake is not only beautiful but. delivers one of her best performances of her short career. A film to own and watch over and over again. I have to DVD from Criterion and its worth every penny it cost.

The granddaddy of the comedy spoof films. Mel Brooks had his first box office bonanza with this comedy western. Its as funny now as it was back then. I don't need to tell you anything it is sheer nonsense in a nutshell. Every western ever made is goofed on here. Cleavon Little is great as Black Bart, Gene Wilder Brilliant as the Waco Kid, Harvey Korman is so sensational as Hedley Lamaar. Mel Brooks as the Govonor,, who googles after his secretary played by Robyn Hilton. He also plays an Indian chief. Dom DeLuise in a kooky cameo as Buddy Lazare is funny. Slim Pickens is wonderful too as Taggart as is Alex Karras as Mongo. John Hillerman, David Huddleston, Liam Dunn, Burton Gilliam and Carol Arthur are all delightful as the townfolk of Rock Ridge all with the same last name Johnson. The real star of the movie is none other than Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Schtup. She got her second academy award nomination for her extraordinary comic performance. She did the best take-off of Marlene Dietrich in history. Whenever I see a Markene Dietrich movie I always think of Madeline Kahn. The movie has a silly ending, but doesn't hurt it nevertheless. Always keep your eyes open for sight gags. The songs are all great too like I'm Tired, Put Out Your Hands, The Rock Ridge song and the title track Blazing Saddles. A comedy classic with a cast of pros. Like the Warner Brothers said back then You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet. Sit back and relax and laugh yourself into hysterics. If they were to remake this movie it would be pointless, you can never top the originality of this one. It was the first of its kind. Our children's children will be loving this gem as much as we did. Buy it and own it.

Kings Row in my opinion is one of the greatest motion pictures ever made. Why it wasn't it on the American Film Institutes 100 films of all time is beyond me and another weird thing why wasn't its star the beautiful and talented Ann Sheridan among their greatest stars of all time is another crime. Ronald Reagan gives the performance of his entire career. The rest of the cast is first-rate as well. Robert Cummings is good but is the weakest character for me. Betty Field is very good in her small part. The supporting cast which includes Charles Coburn, Claude Rains, Maria Ouspenkaya and Kaaren Verne are all sensational. The music and the cinematography are incredible. Sam Wood directed a truly Gothic melodrama. The black and white photography is so gloriously rich. I am waiting anxiously for this to come out on DVD. In 1942 this film should have gotten a lot of nominations and won some. Best picture, actor, actress, director, supporting actor, supporting actress and screenplay and also cinematography and musical score. I think it did actually get a best picture nomination come to think of it. If you never saw this film, you must look out for it and Ann Sheridan in her finest hour.

Film directors of the 1970's had an obsession with older films of the 30's and 40's. The director of this movie is Peter Bogdonavich and he really put together a masterpiece of nostalgic film making. Paper Moon is a classic comedy drama, that resembles the films of John Ford or Sam Wood. Ryan O' Neal in his best performance, stars as Moses pray a con man who sells bibles to recent widows meets up with Addie Loggins played by Academy Award Winner Tatum O'Neal who is wonderful. The cinematography is beautifully crafted. The landscapes and roads of St. Louis and other cities are so expertly filmed. The black and white photography, would make todays audiences think this film was released in 1933 not 30 years after in 1973. Now 32 years later this film holds up and stands the test of time. I don't want to give too much away, I am sure many of the readers here have seen it. The supporting cast is great John Hillerman in 2 roles a bootlegger and his brother, who is a sheriff. Then you have Randy Quaid and Burton Gilliam in smaller roles. P.j. Johnson is hysterical as the maid to Miss Trixie Delight played with such zest by th greatest comic actress of the 20th century the late and great Madeline Kahn. She stole the film. She was nominated for an Oscar for supporting actress and lost out to you know who. I think she should have gotten it, because her role really was supporting and also for a small role around 20 minutes with few close-ups she gave such a tarnished performance. She makes you laugh so hard and yet is so heartbreakingly touching in her big scene on the hill with Addie.

If this film was actually made in the 30's Moses could have been played by maybe James Stewart, James Cagney, Henry Fonda or John Garfied. Addie could have been played by Shirley Temple and Trixie maybe have been played by Sylvia Sidney, Betty Field or Ann Sheridan. But I don't think they could have played them any better than Ryan O'Neal, Tatum O'Neal and most especially Madeline Kahn.