Official Synopsis:
Includes:
Babes In Arms
Babes On Broadway
Girl Crazy
Mickey & Judy
Strike Up The Band
Our Take:
Warner Home Video’s Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection – Ultimate Collector’s Edition is probably one of the nicest and most complete DVD sets of 2007. Everything from the case to the supplemental materials is top shelf, but before I am too worked up over the bells and whistles, we need to talk about the films in the set themselves.
Back in the days when Hollywood still had on-screen male-female duos, the young Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland were the hot young song and dance team of their time. This set features four of their most successful collaborations, the most famous being the Oscar-nominated Babes in Arms. And in a rare instance where I agree with the Academy, Babes in Arms is certainly the highlight of the set as Rooney and Garland play youngsters who need to put on a show to prove their vaudevillian parents wrong about their talents. I immediately was dumbstruck by the chemistry between these two mega-stars at such early stages in their respective careers; their sense of comic timing is rarely seen in young actors today who tend to read their lines like robot children (the brilliant Abigail Breslin being a welcomed exception). I truly enjoyed the simple basis of the plot: the idea that children would perform on their own initiative in spite of their parents brought a smile to my face. It did this in light of all the stories we hear about the parents of child actors today micromanaging their children’s careers and treating them as one part golden goose and one part trained monkey. In the end, for everything these truly manufactured films lack in technical prowess or plot, they are still thoroughly enjoyable due to the innocent chemistry between two young stars that, even at their early ages, show exactly why they both went on to become the icons they are.
Now as for the set itself, I was actually surprised by how well put together this 5-disc set is. The four films each get their own disc, which is nice as the extra space allows each film to be presented in stunningly crisp transfers. The fifth disc featuring all the bonus material is packaged in a 46-page booklet that makes for quick reading, but provides wonderful insight into the Rooney & Garland team as well as each of the four films in the set. Lastly, the Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Portfolio is included in the set and contains 20 behind-the-scenes photographs. The cornucopia of bonus material included in the set is as follows:
Babes in Arms
* Introduction by Mickey Rooney
* Commentary by historian John Fricke
* Vintage Our Gang short Duel Personalities
* Classic cartoon The Mad Maestro
* 1939 Newsreel with Mickey and Judy
* Leo Is on the Air radio promo
* 3 different radio shows with Rooney and Garland
* Theatrical Trailer
Strike up the Band
* Introduction by Mickey Rooney
* Pete Smith specialty comedy short Wedding Bills
* Classic cartoon Romeo in Rhythm
* "Do the La Conga" stereo remix version
* Leo Is on the Air radio promo
* Millions for Defense radio special with Mickey and Judy
* Additional radio show with Rooney and Garland
* Theatrical Trailer
Babes on Broadway
* Introduction by Mickey Rooney
* Pete Smith Specialty comedy short How to Hold Your Husband Back
* Classic cartoon Dance of the Weed
* Two Leo Is on the Air Radio Promos
* Radio Show Adaptation of Merton of the Movies with Rooney and Garland
* Chin Up! Cheerio! Carry On Song Demo performed by composer Burton Lane
* Theatrical Trailer
Girl Crazy
* Introduction by Mickey Rooney
* Commentary by historian John Fricke
* Vintage short Hollywood Daredevils
* Classic cartoon The Early Bird Dood It
* I Got Rhythm stereo remix version
* Audio-only bonus: Bronco Busters Outtake
* Theatrical Trailer
Bonus disc
* Private Screenings with Mickey Rooney - 1996 TCM special hosted by Robert Osborne.
* The Judy Garland Songbook- A superb collection of 21 complete, magical Judy Garland musical numbers spanning her many films from 1936-1954.
* Mickey and Judy Trailer Gallery.
Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection – Ultimate Collector’s Edition is a must-have for fans of this timeless duo. Even casual fans or non-fans (as I was before receiving this set) will want to check this out as Warner has made this set one of the must-haves of 2007 with the inclusion of countless amounts of bonus material and packaging that befits the extravagance of the time period the Hollywood these films hail from, all making this set…
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Overall Picture:
Movies (average): B-
DVD: A+
- Matthew Orlando
Staff Writer
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