Reviews

The general quality of "The Real McCoys" had deteriorated in the show's sixth season, particularly in the later episodes after Walter Brennan left the show. The overall rural charm of the show was lost, story lines became more contrived, the series had generally "jumped the shark". Others may enjoy this episode; IMHO it was possibly the worst of the series.

The rating of 1 out of 10 refers to the film from an analytical perspective - I would probably give it a solid 10 on the "guilty pleasure" scale. Yes, the movie is really awful if you objectively analyze it - bad writing (from an equally trashy, compulsively readable novel), bad directing (from veteran Mark Robson, who has done very good work over the years) and bad acting (ranges from wooden to outrageous overacting - Sharon Tate looks beautiful but does very little else, Patty Duke really chews the scenery in her first "adult" role, and Susan Hayward - for shame!) In fairness, the New England scenery is beautiful and the music is OK, (but really didn't care for the theme song) But for all its badness I guarantee you will stick with it to the end. A great time-waster for a rainy or snowy day - just sit back, turn off your better judgment and sense of intellect, and enjoy!

The comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were in their prime in the 1940's (particularly the early 1940's) and this offering from 1943 is very funny indeed. Based on a Damon Runyon story "Princess O'Hara" (and featuring some of the classic Runyon characters such as Harry the Horse), it's been tailored for the A & C brand of comedy, and features some of their funniest routines (the "mudder & fodder" exchange, which was repeated in their later film "The Noose Hangs High"; stealing the horse, the climactic horse race scene, etc.) Like most of their early features (with the notable exception of the great "Who Done It"), there's also the mandatory songs - they are a mild intrusion, but on their own merit are quite good. (These song numbers were a stock element in the Universal comedies at the time, so you just have to tolerate them, but, like in the Marx Brothers comedies, they did seem to be there just to "pad out" the running time.) There's also a gem of a supporting performance by the great character actor Eugene Palette.

Unfortunately, "It Ain't Hay" is currently tied up in legal knots, which keeps it out of circulation at the present time. Due to this, it was not included in the great A & C collection released recently on DVD by MCA, nor has it been shown on television for many years. Hopefully these legal issues will be resolved, and this fine example of the great comedy duo's work will receive the distribution it deserves.

This 1946 sequel to the 1943 film "Claudia" depends largely on the charm of its stars Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young, and on that score it succeeds beautifully. Based on the popular 1940's novel by Rose Franken (who also wrote the screenplay) "Claudia and David" proves to be a brief, albeit good adaptation. There's nothing particularly thrilling or exciting in the story. It's more a quiet comedy with some dramatic elements, as it follows the trials and tribulations of this young married couple with a young child, as they experience life on their Connecticut farm. All in all, nothing spectacular, but quite worthwhile; the type of movie that is perfect for a rainy Saturday afternoon.

In its way, this film is a historical document (albeit a misguided one), and certainly a product of its time. Made at the height of the infamous red scare, "My Son John" is so fervent in its anti-Communist message that it becomes somewhat fascinating as a piece of social history.The film has become famous (or perhaps more correctly notorious) as propaganda; despite the sometimes; overwrought script, the film is not without a talented cast. The great theatrical actress Helen Hayes, in one of her relatively rare movie appearances, is really very good as the mother, as is Dean Jagger as the father, and Robert Walker is fine as the son who is the object of his parent's suspicions. (Walker actually died before filming was finished, so some scenes were shot with a double or prepared with footage from Walker's earlier film "Strangers On A Train", or re-written to exclude Walker's character or requiring his presence.)

In response to another reviewer, who wondered who had actually seen this film - I saw it a couple of times on Canadian television, once in the 1970's, and the last time in December, 1990. To my knowledge, it hasn't been shown on Canadian TV (at least in my viewing area) since that time.

Update: The film was released on DVD and blu-ray in 2015.

As another reviewer noted, "The Blue Veil" is apparently entangled in rights litigation, which would certainly explain why this wonderful movie is never shown on TV nowadays; nor, sadly, is it available for release on video. Over the years I have noticed that a number of the great Jane Wyman's 1950's movies seem to have fallen off the radar screen. "Magnificent Obsession" and "All That Heaven Allows" seem to be the only titles that have been released to video or warrant reasonably frequent TV airings. While these two Douglas Sirk titles are undeniably fine, what about the others? I clearly remember seeing such Wyman films as "The Blue Veil", "So Big" and "Lucy Gallant" on TV in the 1960's and very early 1970's. Since that point, many of these 1950's and early '60's movies have disappeared into oblivion (at least in my immediate TV viewing area). As there does not appear to be any hurry to release these great films on video, I can only lament the loss.