No comments about Holiday Inn.

No comments about Homes for the Holidays (The Christmas Tour: A spectacular musical video tour of beautifully decorated homes!).

5 comments about Irma la Douce.

1. I loved the musical when it first came out. I looked forward to the film release. I can't say how disappointed I was in the result. Why do directors so often think they can make a better story than the author intended?



2. SINCE I WAS A CHILD, WHEN WATCHED THIS FILM IN TV, I DREAMT OF BUYING A COPY IN THE FUTURE.
   FINALLY GOT IT AND IS REALLY A TREASURE LIKE THE BEST OF THE BOOKS, THAT YOU CAN SEE MANY TIMES WITHOUT GETTING BORED.
   
   ESCELLENT MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



3. In an attempt to recapture the magic of The Apartment, director Billy Wilder reassembled the stars of that film, Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, in an adaptation of a popular musical -- and promptly removed the music. The result was Irma La Douce, a film that has been mostly forgotten my modern movie lovers even though it was a huge box-office success in 1963 (earning more than The Great Escape and The Birds combined!).
   
   Part of the reason for the obscurity of Irma La Douce may be its highly contrived and mostly unbelievable plot. Jack Lemmon plays Nestor Patou, a Parisian policeman who falls in love with streetwalker Irma La Douce ("Irma the sweet") after arresting her (and losing his job in the process). Taken by him as well, Irma (MacLaine) takes Nestor on as her live-in "fellow" (read: pimp).
   
   But Nestor is an insecure, jealous man, and he instantly schemes to replace her customers with a single one of his own -- one rich enough that she won't have to see any others. So he dresses up as "Lord X" a British millionaire and spends his nights working several jobs to produce the cash for the role. Then Irma's ex-fellow almost sees Nestor changing from his costume, but thinks he's witnessed a murder....
   
   The real appeal of Irma La Douce is in how Lemmon and MacLaine genuinely seem to like each other. One could easily imagine a relationship blossoming between them, and that is the key to believing in these characters.
   
   Wilder himself has called the film a "failure" (see Conversations with Wilder by Cameron Crowe), mostly due to the fact that his actors, though playing native Parisians, speak with their own accents. But their fans will not care because, though it does not come close to the quality of its predecessor, Irma La Douce is one of Wilder's most purely engaging films, even during the slow spots. Jack Lemmon has a lot of fun with his dual role, and Shirley MacLaine has never been sexier!
   
   (Keep an eye out for a walk-on by the young James Caan, in his film debut as a soldier.)



4. Is there any denying how beautiful Shirley MacLaine was in this film?
   
   I just finished watching Irma La Douce with my wife, over dinner. It's a delightful comedy, also starring Jack Lemmon as a clean police officer, who raids a den of prostitution, is fired for his trouble, and then falls in love with one of the prostitutes. Jealous of all her clients, he concocts a scheme to dress up as an English Lord ("Lord X"), so as to monopolize all her time. His best-laid plan of course goes astray, but love wins out in the end.
   
   I first watched this movie when about 9 or 10 years old, and had a crush on Shirley MacLaine as a result. She is just...luscious. The full implications of the prostitution were of course lost on me at the time.
   
   This film is definitely worth a watch...a great old-fashioned comedy.



5. One character in "Irma La Douce" describes the love between Jack Lemmon's sad sack and Shirley MacLaine's heart-of-gold streetwalker as "cute". Herein lies my problem with the film. I liked it, though it was a little overlong, but I was expecting something a little edgier from director Billy Wilder and his co-scenarist I.A.L. Diamond. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they were adapting someone else's work instead of creating something original. Lemmon and MacLaine still have that distinct chemistry but it's not as apparent as it was in Wilder's masterwork, "The Apartment". One pronounced credit to the film is the hilarious turn by Lou Jacobi as Moustache, Lemmon's mentor and dispenser of advise. Not a bad film but I would behoove you to check out Jules Dassin's "Never on Sunday" with Melina Mercouri which covers similar territory as "Irma La Douce" but with infinitely better results.

No comments about Deck the Halls (Parts 1 & 2) - Christmas.

No comments about Going My Way.

3 comments about Lena's Holiday.

1. There's only 1 thing to view in this movie, her perfect and beautiful body. Don't you think so?



2. This is a cute movie that is entertaining enough to keep your interest, but not one that ranks among the great romantic comedies of our time. There are a number of lesser-known bit actors in it (how long has it been since you've seen Bill Dana in anything?), and Nick Mancuso is clearly enjoying himself as he overacts playing the lecherous, famous, and rich Hollywood photographer. But the beautiful Felicity Waterman steals the movie with her charismatic charm. I'm surprised she hasn't become a more famous actress, as her presence lights up every scene (even if her fake German accent gets annoying after a while).

   The widescreen transfer to DVD is decent, but not great. This movie is worth a viewing, and you may fall for Felicity Waterman, as I have, but it probably isn't one you'll add to your collection.




3. Released in '90 'Lena's Holiday' is a unchallenging but well-intentioned, mildly entertaining film. Predictable storyline, plodding script and no surprises at the end. However what it does have and the reason why it receives a 3 star rating is solely for the presence of the exceedingly lovely Felicity Waterman as Lena Jung. Who could resist falling in love with this naive, vulernable beauty with the cute accent who finds herself all alone in Hollywood with the wrong suitcase and a couple of murderers in hot pursuit. Also starring Chris Lemmon (Jack's son) as Lena's love interest. His physical resemblance, mannerisms and voice are so like his Father it's spooky.
   
   Make no mistake about it, if you watch this film to its conclusion it's because you, like me, have fallen completely in love with Lena.

No comments about Merry Christmas From Rome - Jubilaeum.

No comments about Video Visits: Ireland.

No comments about Christmas Through the Years.

1 comments about Christmas: The Classic Television Collection.

1. The best thing about this DVD set is the packaging. It is very attractive. It is also misleading. Echo Bridge Entertainment is just a repackaging of Platinum Disc Corporation (PDC) product. The problem with PDC is that this company inserts the company name and logo onto the bottom right hand corner of the screen periodically throughout the program. I have never been able to overlook any program that does this to deter pirating. It takes away from the nostalgic feel of watching a vintage television program or movie. Vintage Entertainment practices this as well, so I have resisited buying any more product from them. If this sort of thing does not really bother you, then you may very well enjoy the diverse programming on this set of DVDs. It includes Burns and Allen, A Date With the Angels, Dragnet, Four Star Playhouse, Annie Oakley and The Racket Squad, among others. Each program is separated by the PDC intro as well, so you are constantly being reminded of what company has released this. Otherwise, it would be a nice collection of early holiday programming.