Leonard Maltin

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Poppin’ Guitars: A Tuneful Of Sherman

By Leonard Maltin
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December 13, 2009 3:52 AM
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Producer James Jensen has compiled a lovely CD of acoustic guitar solos featuring the music of The Sherman Brothers. These tuneful, upbeat songs work amazingly well even without their indelible lyrics—or is it just that they’re so ingrained in my consciousness that...

By Leonard Maltin
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December 13, 2009 3:37 AM
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If you love ragtime, stride piano, and novelty numbers of the teens, 1920s and 30s, you’re bound to fall in love with these collections by Frederick Hodges. This multi-talented performer accompanies silent films in the...

By Leonard Maltin
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December 13, 2009 3:11 AM
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I was a boy when the New York World’s Fair opened in 1964, and I will never forget it. Having never been to Disneyland, this was the next best thing, an elaborate exposition with foods and exhibits from foreign countries and, best of all, a handful of rides and programs created by Walt Disney! I visited it at least a dozen times during its two-year-run. This impressive four-CD set recaptures the magic of that experience.

Disc One is titled Progressland, and brings back memories of the General Electric pavilion and its centerpiece, Disney’s Carousel of Progress. Western star (and frequent Disney narrator) Rex Allen...

By Leonard Maltin
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December 13, 2009 3:02 AM
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If David Raksin had done nothing but write the score for The Bad and the Beautiful he would merit a place in the pantheon of great film composers. He is equally celebrated for Laura and Forever Amber, but this welcome 5-CD collection presents some of his least-known work, mostly from...

By Leonard Maltin
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December 13, 2009 2:50 AM
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I never dreamed this would happen: a six-disc set collecting the entire Joe McDoakes series! (Or perhaps I should say oeuvre.) For the uninitiated, I should explain that these ten-minute shorts, made between 1942 and 1956, were a snappy blend of slapstick and situation comedy featuring George O’Hanlon (later famous as the voice of George Jetson) as an ordinary guy who always wound up “behind the 8-ball.” I first documented the series in my book The Great Movie Shorts, many years ago, and had a devil of a time tracking down prints. They weren’t shown on television, and while some were available in 16mm, finding them was hit-and-miss. I actually traveled to Washington, D.C. to screen some of them on a Steenbeck editing machine. I never knew if I’d have a chance to see some of them again.

By Leonard Maltin
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December 13, 2009 2:28 AM
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Thank goodness for the Film Music Society and its ongoing efforts to chronicle and celebrate composers from the golden age of Hollywood. Perhaps the least-known work of those musical giants is their television scores, a situation that is remedied in part by this interesting compilation of scores written for Gunsmoke, Rawhide and...

By Leonard Maltin
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December 13, 2009 2:11 AM
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There has never been a filmmaker quite like Sam Fuller: as director Curtis Hanson remarks in one of the interviews on this DVD set, he constituted his own genre. Fuller’s staccato, slap-in-the-face melodramas, war stories and genre pieces all bore his unique voice. As it happens only two of the films on this 7-disc set are bona fide Fuller productions, The Crimson Kimono (1959) and Underworld U.S.A. (1961). They may not be his best films but they’re significant contributions to...

By Leonard Maltin
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December 13, 2009 1:50 AM
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Robert Benchley is one of my lifelong heroes. I first read his hilarious essays as an assignment for a humor project in junior high school English class. (I can’t imagine that happening today, although the thought of life without Benchley or his compatriot...

By Leonard Maltin
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December 12, 2009 11:13 AM
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Following his tribute to film composer Bronislau Kaper, record producer Dick Bank has turned his attention to another great talent who’s overdue for recognition. Ralph Rainger was a virtuoso pianist who enjoyed a fruitful collaboration with lyricist Leo Robin at Paramount Pictures in the 1930s. The result was a cavalcade of hit songs, many of which went on to become standards and also jazz perennials, including...

By Leonard Maltin
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December 12, 2009 8:23 AM
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I remember this movie being good, but I have to admit that I may have underrated it. What’s more, the commentary track and interview material on the new Criterion release add immeasurably to one’s enjoyment of the film and understanding of its place in history. As a piece of entertainment, it is exemplary, showcasing two great stars—who were still newlyweds at the time of the film’s release—at the height of their beauty and skill. Vivien Leigh (by this time a star to American audiences,...

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Poppin’ Guitars: A Tuneful Of Sherman

Up And Down The Keys; Kitten On The Keys — Frederick Hodges

Walt Disney and the 1964 World's Fair

David Raksin AT M-G-M

The Joe McDoakes Collection

MUSIC FROM CBS WESTERNS

The Samuel Fuller Collection

The Robert Benchley Miniatures Collection

The Film Music Of Ralph Rainger: Thanks For The Memory - the chuck berghofer trio

That Hamilton Woman

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