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Nabaza.net-The MarketPlace - Thousands Cheer
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List Price: $19.98
Our Price: $26.75
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly, Mary Astor, John Boles, Ben Blue
Directed By: George Sidney (II)
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786301975971
Format: Color
ISBN: 6301975979
Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Release Date: 1992-04-01
Running Time: 126
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Theatrical Release Date: 1944-01
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Editorial Reviews:
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The second half of this 1943 Technicolor musical is an excuse for MGM's contract talent to perform songs and sketches in a big show at an Army base. Unfortunately, more than an hour passes before the show arrives, stranding the viewer with a thin service comedy about an opera singer (Kathryn Grayson) tagging along to a military camp in hopes of reuniting her estranged parents, whose names are Bill and Hillary (no comments, please). Romance comes in the form of private Gene Kelly, a former trapeze artist who misses the glory of his former life. Grayson warbles, and Kelly has one nifty solo dance (with a mop and broom), but the all-star revue is the movie's main attraction. The song selection is generally poor ("I Dug a Ditch in Wichita" is performed twice), with Lena Horne's sultry take on "Honeysuckle Rose" an exception. She's backed by Benny Carter and His Orchestra. Specialty player Virginia O'Brien delights with one of her deadpan numbers, Eleanor Powell tap dances, and Judy Garland delivers with a boogie-woogie lilt on "Jumpin' Down at Carnegie Hall." Comedy sketches with Red Skelton and Frank Morgan are stubbornly unfunny. Then there's José Iturbi, the Spanish-born conductor, making his film debut at the beginning of his run as MGM's supposedly cute highbrow. Director George Sidney would team up two years later with Iturbi, Kelly, and Grayson in Anchors Aweigh, a much more enjoyable musical confection. --Robert Horton
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Thousands Snore
Comment: Of all the Technicolor shows created "for the boys" in WW II, this is the most insipid. Aside from Kelly's mop/broom dance and Lena Horne, this is a real yawner. Rooney (who must be the last survivor) does some memorable impressions, and the latin dance number is fun. The rest is useless plot, third-rate actors, and lifeless productions.
If you want to see the gold standard of this genre, try The Gang's All Here. Be sure you look for the 1943 musical, not the 1941 film noir of the same name.
Customer Rating:
Summary: And I Want Uncle Sam !
Comment: "Thousands Cheer" is one of those many morale building movie musicals released during World War II. A little plot, a lot of color and everybody on the lot showing up to entertain us. This movie should be on DVD in a "Hollywood Goes To War" set, along with "Hollywood Canteen", "Stage Door Canteen", "Thank Your Lucky Stars","Reveille With Beverly", "Jam Session" and wouldn`t it be nice to have a non-bootleg "This Is The Army" ?
Customer Rating:
Summary: Thousands Cheer
Comment: Why MGM have you not allowed this MOVIE to go onto DVD, don't listen to those that say the first hour is boring, this has to be one of the best musicals of the era if not of all time, I have just about worn out my second video tape of this movie, so please MGM put it on DVD as soon as possible.
I am an ardent follower of Kathryn Grayson and coupled with Jose Iturbi is pure magic, I would give this 6 stars if possible, sadly they just don't make movies like this these days.
Customer Rating:
Summary: DVD DVD DVD !!!!! NOW MGM !!!!
Comment: We have been patiently waiting since 1992 for this movie to be put out on DVD. Its Time NOW MGM!!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: I wouldn't miss it; but don't run to see it, either...
Comment: MGM turns out a middling production with Thousands Cheer. This film has the weakest plot I've seen in years. In fact, the plot is so thin that it becomes difficult for me to write anything cogent about it. Gene Kelly plays Eddie Marsh, an army private during WW2 who falls in love with a Colonel's daughter named Kathryn, played very ably by Kathryn Grayson. Mary Astor plays Kathryn's mother; and John Boles plays Colonel Bill Jones, Kathryn's father; but Kathryn's parents have long since separated. Gene Kelly and Kathryn Grayson get a chance to show off their acting skills but all this still remains mostly wasted on this flimsy plot. Just as Eddie and Kathryn have barriers to their relationship caused by the war, Kathryn's parents also have boundaries and problems in their own relationship because of Bill's devotion to the armed forces. Questions pop out at you: What becomes of Kathryn's parents--will they reunite after years of living separate lives? Will Gene Kelly and Kathryn Grayson's characters stay in love despite bumpy times on the base? You'll have to watch to find out; I hate putting spoilers in my reviews. SMILE
You may ask: If Matt doesn't say much good about this movie, then why does he give it four stars? The answer is easy: you get a good show out of Thousands Cheer with song and dance numbers that save the film from ruination. For example, the dance scene with Gene Kelly using a rag mop for his partner proves that even when his career was just starting he was a very polished, naturally talented dancer with extraordinary abilities. The circus scene in the first half of the picture offers great acrobatics and the choreography of the circus scenes astounds me. Finally, the last half of the movie offers several remarkably wonderful performances by some of the greatest of the MGM greats. Eleanor Powell still tap dances with the very best of them; Judy Garland sings "The Joint Is Really Jumpin' Down At Carnegie Hall" as beautifully as ever with José Iturbi at the piano; and Lena Horne's elegant performance of "Honeysuckle Rose" will charm even the hardest of hearts.
In addition, look for some fairly enjoyable comedy sketches with Frank Morgan, the actor who played The Wizard Of Oz five years earlier, Ann Southern, Lucille Ball, Margaret O'Brien, Red Skelton and Virginia O'Brien. Kay Kyser also turns in a great performance with his band.
The color is fairly good for VHS but it isn't the same quality you might get on a DVD; however the cinematography reflects forethought that works especially well in the last half of the movie when most of the musical numbers take place.
If you want a movie with a deep and meaningful plot, you will need to keep looking. However, fans of the MGM musical will enjoy this movie; and these fans will enjoy the movie even more if they skip the first hour and simply fast forward to get to the part where "the show" begins. Thousands Cheer also deserves "honorable mention" as a look at how young people felt when they found themselves in unexpected situations that came about as a result of WW2.
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