The Alice Faye Collection, Volume Two (20th Century Fox DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C/C+ Extras: B- Films: B-
Fox is
back with another impressive Alice Faye
Collection set, the first of which we covered at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5139/The+Alice+Faye+Collection+(On+The
This
time, we get five films including….
Rose Of Washington Square (1939) has Faye playing a thinly
veiled version of Fanny Brice, in a less Musical and far more politically
incorrect version of her story (despite the disclaimer at the beginning; Brice
sued and won a settlement) with more of the Gangster boyfriend angle and Al
Jolson rehashing his blackface routines from The Jazz Singer (reviewed elsewhere on this site) to the point of
non-spontaneity. William Frawley and
Joyce Compton also star in this interesting entry directed by actor Gregory
Ratoff, in black & white.
Hollywood Cavalcade (1939) is a non-musical variant
of another tale of Hollywood’s entry into sound filming but despite Buster
Keaton’s presence, this is no Singin’ In
The Rain, but is a pretty good comedy thanks to Faye’s surprisingly good
performance and Don Ameche in good form.
There is some black and white mixed with the decent-looking Technicolor
print.
The Great American Broadcast (1941) is another one of many
films from its time trying to portray the exciting world of network radio,
something that is occasionally attempted today.
John Payne, Cesar Romero and key performers like The Nicholas Brothers
and The Four Ink Spots join in for what is one of the more interesting of such
films. This was shot in black &
white.
Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943) has Faye, John Payne, Ward
Bond and company singing their way through the Barbary Coast. Even when the film lags in its tale of The
Gold Rush, it has enough good moments and money on the screen for the 99
minutes of its Technicolor production to be more watchable than expected.
Four Jills In A Jeep (1944) is a black and white
military comedy Musical romp with Faye in a supporting role, but deserves to be
included in this set as the biopic tells of the title women who helped
entertain the troops. Kay Francis,
Carole Landis, Mitzi Mayfair and Martha Raye play the women, but it is Raye who
steals the show in peak power singing with an underrated voice and showing that
she was one of the best comic actresses around in Hollywood’s Classical
Era. Phil Silvers, Carmen Miranda, Betty
Grable, Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra also star in this lively time capsule.
The 1.33
X 1 image shows on all five films have been cleaned and upgraded as nicely as
could be expected by Fox, though the color and definition on Frisco could be better. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo option from
previous DVDs are not available here, though we get Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono that
is weaker than expected and isolated music tracks on Square, Frisco and Jeep that are of exceptional quality
and far superior to the final “restored” film soundtracks. Allowing lesser music tracks anywhere is a
big mistake, but that is what they did.
Extras
include stills, advertising galleries, restoration comparisons and behind the
scenes featurettes on all five films. Square adds a trailer, while Cavalcade has Fox Movietone
News-related footage and featurettes on Keaton & Fatty Arbuckle. The
Alice Faye Collection, Volume Two is a worthy follow-up set and film fans
will want to see it all at least once.
- Nicholas Sheffo
