Disneyland's Small World Remodels

Disneyland's It's a Small World ride is closing for a lengthy rehab, shutting down from January 22, 2008, to November 28, 2008.

One assumes that when it first reopens it will be the Small World Holiday version of the ride, so it will be just about a year before we get to see the original Small World again.

We've been watching the new Disney Treasures DVD set, which is terrific. The set includes a WONDERFUL WORLD OF COLOR episode, "Disneyland Goes to the World's Fair," detailing Disney's creation of the Primeval World, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Carousel of Progress, and It's a Small World for the New York World's Fair of 1964-65. It's a fascinating slice of Disney and pop culture history.

As a side note, one of the things that particularly intrigued me in the World's Fair program was the 120-foot-tall Tower of the Four Winds mobile Disney built for the fair. Sadly, the mobile was scrapped after the fair rather than sent to Disneyland with the rest of Disney's contributions to the fair. A small model of it lives on at the Contemporary Resort at Disney World in Florida:


Click to enlarge the photo. I hope to take a much better picture -- without a flash reflection! -- on my next visit to Disney World...which I'm happy to say is going to be much sooner than I expected. :)

Previously: Joyce Carlson, Co-Creator of It's a Small World.

Coming to DVD: Enchanted (2007)

Disney's ENCHANTED is being released on DVD on March 18, 2008.

The release date is a few days before Easter -- I suspect it was timed so the DVD can be tucked inside many Easter baskets.

Extras include a "pop-up" short starring Pip the Chipmunk, featurettes, deleted scenes, and bloopers.

My children and I were saying the other day they really need to make a "pop-up trivia" edition with on-screen pop-up facts pointing out all the nuggets of Disney trivia used in the film. Or it at least needs a commentary which would do this...

Why do I have a feeling I'm going to be shelling out for an upgraded edition in a few years?!

Tonight's Movie: The Uninvited (1944)

I often avoid "ghost" movies if they look too spooky, but I was very interested in THE UNINVITED as the leads are played by three actors I particularly enjoy: Ray Milland, Gail Russell, and Ruth Hussey. We did take the precaution of watching it this afternoon, before it got dark. :) It turned out to be a really wonderful film, which I highly recommend.

Milland and Hussey play Rod and Pamela Fitzgerald, a brother and sister who decide to pool their resources to buy a house on the English coast. It isn't long before they notice spooky goings-on in the house, but the Fitzgeralds try to ignore the unusual happenings and enjoy their new home.

Rod is soon enchanted by beautiful young Stella (Gail Russell), whose parents once lived in the house. It quickly becomes apparent that Stella and the strange happenings in the Fitzgeralds' house are connected, and Rod and Pamela set out to solve the mystery and free Stella and the house from whatever is haunting them. They are aided in their quest by the local doctor (Alan Napier), who has taken an interest in Pamela.

There are many elements which make the film so effective, starting with the performances of the four lead actors. Milland is charming as Rod, a composer and music critic simultaneously falling in love and fighting with ghosts. Hussey conveys her usual warmth and intelligence, and Napier was just right as the doctor who immediately believes the Fitzgeralds and calmly handles spooky lights and noises. (Napier is best-known as Alfred the butler in TV's BATMAN.) Russell is simply one of the loveliest and most haunting -- no pun intended -- leading ladies ever to grace film; how tragic that the stress of handling a film career led to her alcoholism.

The movie isn't a conventional horror film in that there is no gore or anything visually scary, other than a couple of apparitions. It's all about mood, sounds, and animals that run away from home or refuse to go upstairs. A brief seance attempting to find out what's wrong with the house is as close as the movie gets to anything truly unpleasant. There's no ugly music indicating terrible things are about to happen; to the contrary, the score is exquisitely beautiful, including the memorable "Stella By Starlight." The score was composed by Victor Young. The film's resolution is logical and satisfying.

The supporting cast includes Donald Crisp as Stella's grandfather and Cornelia Otis Skinner as a strange woman who appears to have liked Stella's mother a little too intensely.

The film runs 98 minutes and was directed by Lewis Allen. The screenplay was cowritten by Dodie Smith, author of the novels I CAPTURE THE CASTLE and 101 DALMATIANS. I CAPTURE THE CASTLE sits on my shelf of favorite books. (Anyone who has read it can probably recite the opening line by heart..."I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.")

THE UNINVITED can be seen on VHS and on cable at Turner Classic Movies.

Requests for a DVD release at TCM are higher than I've ever noticed for any other movie -- over 2411 at present. This movie deserves a DVD release with informative extras about the making of the film. Sadly, none of the cast is with us any longer.

The trailer is here.

A most enjoyable movie which I'll be watching again in the future.

Update: This movie was released on Region 2 DVD in Europe in October 2012. It is the first authorized DVD released anywhere in the world.

July 2013 Update: Finally, a Region 1 DVD release in the United States! THE UNINVITED will be released by the Criterion Collection on October 22, 2013.

October 2013 Update: I reviewed the new Criterion DVD for ClassicFlix.

October 2019 Update: My ClassicFlix review of the Criterion disc has been updated and published here at my site.

CA Backpedals on Thermostat Control...For Now

The California Energy Commission has, at least for the present, removed the proposed building code requirement that future construction include thermostats which can be programmed by the state government.

The folks at Patterico's site suspect this isn't the end of the idea, and I think they're right.

As Joseph Somsel writes in a comment, "The root problem is the state’s policy of 'Conservation First'" rather than "energy adequacy."

Bradley J. Fikes raises more questions at The Festering Swamp.

The 39 Steps Becomes Broadway Comedy

A spoof of Alfred Hitchcocks's THE 39 STEPS has opened on Broadway at the American Airlines Theater (what a name for a theater!).

The comedy, which originated in England, has been very well-received. USA Today writes that it "mines Hitchcock's dry wit and breezily sends up the spy-thriller genre." The New York Times calls it "absurdly enjoyable" and notes "many of the funniest — and more surprisingly, the raciest — lines in Mr. Barlow’s play come directly from the movie. This '39 Steps' isn’t using its source material as a satiric target but as an accomplice."

The play also works in references to other Hitchcock movies, including shadow puppet crop dusters (?!). It sounds just a bit like Disney's ENCHANTED, a movie which is both spoof and loving tribute to Disney film history.

The Hitchcock original came up in the comments discussion for my post on SABOTEUR over the weekend. There are apparently some plot similarities between THE 39 STEPS and SABOTEUR.

In a stroke of good timing, the movie airs on TCM next week on January 22, 2008.

Tonight's Movie: Irene (1940)

IRENE was a very pleasant discovery, a blend of musical and screwball comedy starring Ray Milland as Don, a wealthy playboy who secretly owns the swankiest dress shop in New York, and British actress Anna Neagle as Irene, the Irish shopgirl he loves. When Don secretly arranges a modeling job for Irene at his store, all sorts of complications -- romantic and otherwise -- ensue.

IRENE has quite a cast. Alan Marshal and Marsha Hunt, two actors I enjoy very much, play the second leads, with Billie Burke as Marshal's absent-minded mother and Roland Young as the manager of Milland's dress shop. Arthur Treacher plays one of his patented deadpan butler roles ("If butlers told all they knew, society would be a shambles!"). May Robson (FOUR DAUGHTERS) plays Neagle's grandmother. Way down in the uncredited cast you can even find Dorothy Dandridge, who performs in a musical number when Irene attends the theatre.

Years ago I happened to read Anna Neagle's autobiography THERE'S ALWAYS TOMORROW and found it interesting, but this was the first time I'd actually seen her in a film. I found her quite enjoyable, although I wasn't particularly wowed by her style of singing and dancing. While her dance with Milland at a ball was lovely, her solo dance near the end of the film was repetitive and seemed a bit out of place plotwise. That said, she was just right in the part, and a good match for Milland, who was at his charming and comedic best in this film.

The film has a number of unique touches -- perhaps the most noticeable is that while most of the movie was filmed in black and white, there is an extended Technicolor party sequence in the middle of the film, which takes perhaps 20-25% of the film's 101-minute run time. THE WOMEN, released the previous year, also had a Technicolor sequence in the middle of an otherwise black and white film, but it's perhaps more effective in IRENE. In IRENE the party is actually part of the storyline and helps convey Irene's wonder at being part of a high society ball, whereas in THE WOMEN color was used simply for a fashion show that was extraneous to the plot. The color scenes in IRENE are so beautiful -- showing off Neagle's red hair and "Alice Blue Gown" to perfection -- that it makes one wish the entire movie were filmed in color. At the end of the color section, a card appropriately reads "Comes the Cold Grey Dawn," and we're back to black and white.

IRENE was directed by Herbert Wilcox.

IRENE is not available on DVD or video, but can be seen on cable on Turner Classic Movies. 

May 2014 Update: IRENE is now available on DVD from the Warner Archive. My review of the DVD may be found here.

Netflix Offers Unlimited Online Viewing

This will be old news to Netflix subscribers who received the email notice a month ago, but Netflix has now publicly announced that they have lifted time limits for online viewing.

Although I haven't yet used this feature, our college daughter has watched several things online via Netflix and it seems to work very well.

Some people talk about online streaming as being the death knell for DVDs; that's hard for me to imagine, as I would think there are people like me who want the certainty of owning a film collection you can actually lay hands on and know you own forever, including all the extras.

Still, it's an interesting new twist as entertainment technology continues to evolve.

Entire Cast Reunites for HSM3

News that will make HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL fans everywhere jubilant: it was announced today the entire cast will reunite for the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 theatrical film, due to start shooting this spring.

Straight Talk From Fred Thompson

America needs more of this common sense, small government thinking: Thompson was asked whether "as a Christian, as a conservative" he would continue President Bush’s programs to combat global AIDS.

Thompson: "Christ didn’t tell us to go to the government and pass a bill to get some of these social problems dealt with. He told us to do it."

There's more -- read it all.

Thompson's poll numbers in South Carolina are rising as Huckabee's are falling.

The Corner's Peter Robinson says Thompson excitement is building in South Carolina. We can only hope.

I'm getting awfully tired of the media declaring the primaries about over when they're just getting started.

There must be a better way to nominate a Presidential candidate than an endless year of way-too-early buildup followed by being told the competition is over after four or five states vote...

Tuesday Update: More on Thompson momentum from Jonathan Adler at The Corner.

NYT Reviewer Clueless About Veggie Tales

Yesterday three of my children went to see the new VEGGIE TALES movie, THE PIRATES WHO DON'T DO ANYTHING, and had a very enjoyable time. They are all VEGGIE TALES fans, especially the 19-year-old, who loves the sly humor and inside jokes.

NewsBusters notes that the New York Times review was written by someone who was apparently completely clueless about the VEGGIE TALES franchise; his review was consequently utterly lacking in value for those who would be most likely to want to see a VEGGIE TALES movie.

Two of the NYT review's four paragraphs were meandering guesses as to what "faith" had to do with the movie; the reviewer also appears to have absolutely no idea that the series regularly has spoof titles and pop culture references, along with plots that are reworkings of Bible stories or classic literature. (He must have missed seeing THE ASPARAGUS OF LA MANCHA and SUMO OF THE OPERA.) He seriously seems to think the movie is ripping off the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN series. If the reviewer's not serious, he's a very bad comedian.

Hello?!

The L.A. Times, on the other hand, gave the movie a thumbs up in a well-written, knowledgeable review. The review starts out on a fun note: "Strange thoughts can occur when watching a movie populated entirely by vegetables. For instance, do Veggie Pirates get scurvy or beriberi?"

Tonight's Movie: Along Came Jones (1945)

ALONG CAME JONES is an amiable Western comedy. Gary Cooper stars as Melody Jones, a slow-drawing cowboy who can't shoot straight yet is mistaken for a notorious outlaw with the same initials. Loretta Young co-stars as Cherry, a beautiful girl who's a great shot and might, or might not, be the outlaw's girlfriend.

Cooper's finely nuanced comic performance -- watch his facial expressions and body language! -- is a lot of fun, and he has great chemistry with Young's spunky Cherry. The role was a real change of pace from Cooper's usual can-do heroes, while Cherry was quite a strong female character for the times. Cherry isn't above being swept off her feet, though; her dazzled, thunderstruck "Thank you!" after Melody kisses her is the film's sweetest, funniest moment.

In addition to starring in the lead role, Gary Cooper also produced this film.

Dan Duryea plays the outlaw, Monte Jarrad, while William Demarest plays Melody's sidekick. Familiar Western faces including Ray Teal, Russell Simpson, Lane Chandler, Frank Sully, and Walter Sande fill out the supporting cast.

Although Lone Pine's Alabama Hills are clearly seen in the background of some shots, it doesn't appear the actors ever left the studio backlot -- the hills are seen in very bad back projections as Cooper and Demarest "ride" their horses. Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne whimsically theorized that maybe the back projections were to emphasize that the movie was a Western spoof, but I suspect it was more a matter of the budget!

(A side note, the Soda City sequence in last night's movie SABOTEUR was also shot in Lone Pine. Another interesting connection with last night's film is that Gary Cooper had been Hitchcock's first choice for the lead in SABOTEUR.)

ALONG CAME JONES was directed by Stuart Heisler; his film THE GLASS KEY was reviewed here a year ago. The script was by Nunnally Johnson, whose credits include JESSE JAMES, THE GRAPES OF WRATH, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, and Cooper's CASANOVA BROWN. Johnson's wife, Dorris Bowdon, had memorable supporting roles in three John Ford films, including playing Rosasharn in THE GRAPES OF WRATH.

Some sections of ALONG CAME JONES, which I taped from TCM, are quite dark. I have been told the DVD copy is fairly dark in spots too, so that might be as good as this print gets. The movie runs 90 minutes.

It's available on DVD and VHS. It's sometimes shown on TCM.

The trailer can be seen here.

2018 Update: ALONG CAME JONES is now available from ClassicFlix in a restored Blu-ray and DVD.

Tonight's Movie: Saboteur (1942)

Tonight I had the pleasure of watching Alfred Hitchcock's SABOTEUR for the very first time. This tale of a WWII aircraft factory worker on the run after being falsely accused of sabotage is terrific entertainment.

Robert Cummings plays Barry Kane, the man on the run who is looking (of course!) for the real saboteur. Cummings has exactly the right sort of "everyman" quality to be very believable as a factory worker. Lovely Priscilla Lane is a model who ends up aiding Barry, after initially wanting to turn him over to the police. I've seen Lane in a number of movies over the last year and really enjoy her.

There are a number of wonderful sequences -- a nerve-wracking party scene presages the famous party scene in NOTORIOUS a few years later -- climaxing with the final showdown at the Statue of Liberty. The film ends rather abruptly; it could have run longer than its 108 minutes to give us a bit more of a satisfying conclusion, but that's my only complaint.

The villain at the Statue of Liberty is played by Norman Lloyd, known to viewers of '80s TV as Dr. Auschlander on ST. ELSEWHERE. Otto Kruger and Ian Wolfe are among the other villains.

Priscilla Lane made 22 movies in 11 years before leaving Hollywood behind. She had married an Air Force Colonel during the war and raised four children. She is buried beside her husband at Arlington National Cemetery. (2014 Update: Visit the Priscilla Lane Fan Club on Facebook.)

Papers related to Priscilla and her performing sisters are archived at Simpson College.

SABOTEUR is available on DVD as a single-title release or as part of the Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection. The DVD includes a 35-minute documentary about the making of the film, with actor Norman Lloyd describing the filming of the Statue of Liberty sequence in great detail. I wish the featurette had included information about the two leads and their roles, but what's included is very interesting. Production stills, Hitchcock's sketches, and the movie trailer are also included.

The film is also available on VHS.

SABOTEUR can periodically be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

The trailer can be seen here.

October 2014 Update: Here's a post on the movie's "Soda City" location near Lone Pine, California.

Fred Thompson Endorsed By Human Events

Human Events editorializes: "We conclude that Thompson is a solid conservative whose judgment is grounded in our principles."

The magazine goes into detail on why they have chosen Thompson over his Republican rivals. A good read.

As a side note, Judge Robert Bork told Mark Levin today: "I don’t think that Senator McCain or Governor Huckabee deserves to be called a conservative."

Amen to that.

Coming to DVD: Walk the Line Extended Edition (2005)

If you want to see more of the Johnny and June Carter Cash bio WALK THE LINE, an Extended Edition with 17 minutes of new footage will be released on DVD March 25th.

I'm curious as to whether the extended edition will incorporate the deleted scenes seen on the original DVD release. It looks like this new edition only has a couple of deleted scenes, compared to 10 deleted scenes on the original.

The Extended Edition also includes uncut musical numbers on Disc 2. Several of them are said to be never-before-seen extras, so I assume that means they were not included in the 2-Disc Edition released in 2005.

Sounds like the new edition should be worth checking out.

My 2005 thoughts on the original theatrical release can be read here.

Hillary's $40 Billion Tax Rebate: Don't Believe It

Hillary Clinton has proposed an economic stimulus package which includes a $40 billion tax rebate if the "economy worsens."

Sure, that'll happen, just like President Clinton's 1992 campaign promise of a "middle class tax cut." You remember that one...the tax cut that he reneged on 26 days after he was inaugurated (moaning he'd worked harder than he'd ever worked in his life but couldn't do it); instead, he retroactively raised taxes!

If Hillary wants to take credit for everything good in the Clinton Administration, she needs to explain why the Clinton Administration said our economy just couldn't afford a tax cut in the early '90s but she would follow through on a tax cut herself.

The reality is that if Hillary Clinton is elected and there is still a Democratic-controlled Congress, it's a given that we'll all be looking at tax increases one year hence.

Fred Gets Great Reviews

The folks at National Review were sure enthused by Fred Thompson's debate performance tonight. Scroll down and check out the many entries for January 10th at The Corner.

Jim Geraghty of National Review's Campaign Spot: "This performance was so commanding, I wanted his last answer to echo back to the lights in the back of the auditorium, blow out all the lamps and spotlights, for the theme to 'the Natural' to play, and for him to trot around the stage in slow motion while sparks showered down in the background."

Even Hugh Hewitt, the No. 1 spinner for Mitt Romney, backhandedly admitted Thompson won the debate, having a "great" night to Mitt's "good" night. Wonders will never cease.

John Podhoretz at Reason: "Fred Thompson is not only winning this debate, he is giving the most commanding debate performance we’ve seen from any candidate in either party since the beginning of this endless primary process."

I find troubling the weight being given to New Hampshire and Michigan in the nomination process -- as independents and Democrats have the opportunity to vote for the Republican nominee!

I'm also completely sick of the media coverage, fitting the facts to their pet storylines, and fawning over their favorite candidates...NBC even admitted it's "hard to stay objective" covering Obama. (Brian Williams thinks it's "courageous" for his reporter to admit this. I suspect if the reporter were this enthused about a conservative, he'd be fired.)

The prospect of a liberal who calls himself a Republican being the nominee is quite disheartening.

And I'll add to that thought that the more I see of Mike Huckabee, the more I think he's a walking disaster...for our party and for the nation, should he happen to get as far as the nomination.

I'd sure like to think there's still hope for a true conservative candidate, such as Fred Thompson, to be the Republican nominee.

Friday Update: Re my comment above about the media fitting the facts to fit their favorite storylines and their preferred candidates: Rush Limbaugh is on a wonderful rant this morning about the drive-by media telling us that the most conservative candidates in the race don't have any hope. The media's pushing their storylines by saying it's "too late" for Thompson and that if Romney loses Michigan -- where Democrats can vote for Republican nominees! -- it's too late for him.

This is after just two states have voted!

First The Government Came for the Light Bulbs...

...then they took control of the thermostats?

It's bad enough the President signed a law banning traditional light bulbs, forcing all Americans to convert in the next few years to poorly functioning, harsh "energy saving" light bulbs which, among other things, are said to possibly cause skin cancer and migraine headaches. Not to mention causing toxic waste in your home if a bulb should break.

What was Congress -- and especially President Bush -- thinking?

Now something even worse may be looming: a California proposal which would give the government control of temperature thermostats in all private homes and businesses built in future is starting to cause a stir.

Rather than build new electric plants, California bureaucrats and politicians continue to look at ways to ration power. I wrote last summer about punitive electric rates which are pricing summer air conditioning out of the range of middle-class Californians.

The bureacrats' new idea: "California utilities would control the temperature of new homes and commercial buildings in emergencies with a radio-controlled thermostat, under a proposed state update to building energy efficiency standards. Customers could not override the thermostats during 'emergency events'..."

So, even if you can afford the bill, you might not be able to run air conditioning even if you want to...and if you find the temperature the State chooses for you to "enjoy" in your own private home too hot or too cold, you will be breaking the law if you change the State's setting.

Too Orwellian to be believed. The accumulation of things like this sure takes the luster off living in California.

Friday Update: The story hits The New York Times.

Commentary on the NYT article is at Patterico's Pontifications.

Coming to DVD: Bette Davis Collection, Volume 3

April 1st will see the release of a terrific new DVD set containing a half-dozen Bette Davis films.

The movies in the set are IN THIS OUR LIFE, THE GREAT LIE, WATCH ON THE RHINE, DECEPTION, THE OLD MAID, and ALL THIS, AND HEAVEN TOO.

Extras include commentaries on four of the films, including one by the great film historian Jeanine Basinger for IN THIS OUR LIFE; a documentary on Davis; and Warner Night at the Movies, with year-appropriate newsreels, shorts, trailers, and cartoons accompanying each film.

Sir Edmund Hillary Dies at 88

Just about a year ago I wrote about the death of renowned mountain climber and photographer Bradford Washburn.

Tonight comes word of the death of the most famous mountaineer of them all, Sir Edmund Hillary. Sir Edmund, of course, along with Tenzing Norgay, was the first to summit Mount Everest, in 1953.

Sir Edmund devoted much of his life to helping the Sherpas in Nepal, raising money to build schools and hospitals in the Himalayas.

He was also a pioneer in the Antarctic, helping establish Scott Base at the South Pole. He just visited Scott Base last year for its 50th anniversary celebration.

Sir Edmund is survived by his wife, children Peter and Sarah, and grandchildren. His first wife, Louise, and teenage daughter Belinda died in a plane crash in 1975. Louise Hillary's book A YAK FOR CHRISTMAS is one of a number of Everest-related books on my shelves.

In 2003 Peter Hillary and Jamling Tenzing Norgay followed in their fathers' footsteps, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first Everest summit by climbing Everest together.

Sir Edmund Hillary's stature in his native New Zealand is such that he will be honored with a state funeral.

Sir Edmund Hillary...one of a kind. A pioneering giant of the 20th century.

Friday Update: The obituary from London's Daily Telegraph. The Telegraph usually runs particularly interesting obituaries, and this one was no exception.

Tonight's Movie: Come to the Stable (1949)

We spent the week after Christmas watching several "pre-Code" movies from early in Loretta Young's career. Tonight our viewing jumped ahead in time to the late '40s and Young's wonderful film COME TO THE STABLE. If, like me, you are a bit burned out on the current endless political speculation, COME TO THE STABLE provides a lovely, peaceful respite, focusing on the power of Christian faith. Although not a Christmas film, it has the same kind of positive, warm vibe as the best Christmas movies, and it leaves the viewer feeling better for having seen it.

COME TO THE STABLE is a unique movie, whimsical, funny, and also deeply affecting. Put simply, it tells the story of two nuns from France (Loretta Young, Celeste Holm) who wish to fulfill a wartime promise to God by building a children's hospital in America. The nuns begin with nothing, and their task seems impossible. Yet bit by bit, their dream begins to become reality. But will a composer (Hugh Marlowe) who doesn't want a hospital in his front yard stand in their way?

This brief description really doesn't do the film justice. The film is exquisitely acted by a large cast. It was deservedly nominated for seven Academy Awards. Loretta Young, who had won the Oscar for THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER in 1948, was nominated for Best Actress. Celeste Holm and Elsa Lanchester each received nominations for Best Supporting Actress; I found Lanchester particularly memorable as the absent-minded painter who somehow finds herself living with nuns.

The film was also nominated for Best Black and White Cinematography (this film beautifully illustrates the meaning of "glorious black and white"), Best Art Direction, Best Story (Clare Boothe Luce), and Best Original Song, "Through a Long and Sleepless Night," by Alfred Newman and Mack Gordon. The use of the song in the film is quite haunting; the music stays with the viewer after the movie ends.

The supporting cast includes Dorothy Patrick (whose best-known role might be Eva Kern in MGM's TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY), Dooley Wilson (of CASABLANCA fame), Regis Toomey, Basil Ruysdael, and Thomas Gomez. A fun bit of trivia is that Hugh Marlowe and Celeste Holm would shortly thereafter play husband and wife in the Oscar-winning classic ALL ABOUT EVE.

It's also worth noting that Hugh Marlowe and Dorothy Patrick's renditions of "Through a Long and Sleepness Night" were dubbed by Ken Darby and Eileen Wilson. Darby was a well-known composer in his own right, as well as the head of the Ken Darby Singers, who sang backup for Bing Crosby. Wilson dubbed Ava Gardner in a few movies, including THE HUCKSTERS, and also dubbed Cyd Charisse in WORDS AND MUSIC.

COME TO THE STABLE was beautifully directed by Henry Koster. Koster directed many of Deanna Durbin's best-known films (including FIRST LOVE, reviewed here last September) and the classic Christmas movie THE BISHOP'S WIFE, also starring Loretta Young, along with Cary Grant and David Niven.

The movie runs 94 minutes.

COME TO THE STABLE is available on VHS.

I hadn't seen this film since I was a teenager. What a treat to rediscover it! Highly recommended.

2012 Update: COME TO THE STABLE is now available on DVD-R from the Fox Cinema Archives.