Pinky and the Brain, Vol. 3

Description

Two lab mice, ("One is a genius, the other insane") living in the Acme labs seek to formulate a plan for the duo, led by Brain, to take over the world. Watch each episode as Pinky and the Brain take on each attempt with a dry wit and humor and likely a parody of other media. 22 Episodes from the EmmyÂ® Award Winning Series for the first time on DVD.

Customer Reviews:

Mouse Trapped.......2007-08-24

It's their last hurrah in the third and final volume of Steven Speilberg's award-winning series as Pinky and the Brain continue their global conquest which will keep you laughing at each failure. (Even more of their attempts are shown in "Animaniacs, Vol. 3" also available.)

These 22 episodes on four discs include "But That's Not All Folks", "Broadway Malady", "Dangerous Brains", the three-part special "Brainwashed", and the Animaniacs themed "Star Warners".

This set also has a special feature called "It's All About the Fans" where the voices of the title rodent characters (Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche) pay tribute to us fellow viewers.

Now that this is the last volume of this series, I wonder what will take its place when "Animaniacs, Volume Four" is out ? I hope it's "Tiny Toons Adventures". That would really be something to own on DVD. I'd really like to catch up on the crazy mis-adventures of Buster Bunny, Babs Bunny, Plucky Duck, and a whole lotta other Looney Tunes inspired characters. Yeah, I really hope that's in development.

Oh, wait. There's also "Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain". The adventures of those little mice with big plans still continue, but under a new roof. The roof of the animal-loving Elmyra, who is another character from "Tiny Toons". I probably think that will be on DVD next. Either way, I really want to see some more classic Kids WB series on DVD for the first time. I don't mind waiting, that's for sure.

The cream of the crop.......2007-08-16

I have read the other reviews, that think this set represents the decline and fall of the once-great Pinky and The Brain show. Why do I disagree? Some of my all-time favorite episodes are here! They represent the show hitting its peak artistically. Just LOOK at the richness of these episodes:

-You Said A Mouseful! (the Hackensack Socko Kicky Sack Sack Kicker factory! Peggy Babcock!)
-Broadawy Malady ("someone who misses Norman Brain" -- now THAT is a pun that will go down in history, plus of course the song "It Must Be April"!)
-Brainie The Poo (with narration by John Rhys-Davies, yes GIMLI)
-The Melancholy Brain (their answer to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead)

Mediocre, aged poorly.......2007-07-04

The plans to take over the world are no longer Rube Goldberg-esque concoctions pursued with zeal. In several classic episodes, these plans were brilliant parodies of the concoctions in movies. In this collection, the "best" are but pale, dumbed down imitations of their inspirations. Then there are a few that are minor retreads.

But most episodes use the P&B "plan" simply as a skeleton on which to hang a collection of immediate cultural and celebrity references. I found these episodes to be flat and joyless. Many of the references were short-lived and, although I recognized them, my reaction these many years later is "So what." The references that could have had some legs didn't have a hook to keep them fresh - they came across as old standard jokes.

Nothing illustrates this better than the contrast provided by the standout episode "Just say Narf". It took classic material (Donald O'Connor's "Make 'Em Laugh" from "Singing in the Rain") and put a decided P&B spin on it.

The most telling aspect of this volume is that several of the episodes have P&B as Hollywood actors, mirroring the large shift in perspective of the creative team. In early P&B, the perspective was of rebels and outsiders delighting in ridiculing the ridiculous in Hollywood. In this volume, they have devolved into Hollywood insiders who can only muster smirks.

If you are already a P&B fan, the memories and residual good will will probably make this volume moderately entertaining. But if you are new to P&B, you will likely be perplexed about what all the buzz was about.

NARF!!!!!!.......2007-06-11

pinky and the brain has to be my favorite cartoon of all time. from bizzare plans to take over the world to even more bizarre plans to make those bizzare plans work, pinky and the brains shenanigans never get old. i grew up watching pinky and the brain, and they never get old. Strange and interesting characters, ranging from brains nemesis snowball, to pinky's horse/girlfriend, as well as the occasional anamaniac apperances, round out the outrageous cast of the show. The joy that they seem to take in slamming bill clinton and other famous figure (although mostly clinton), is just so infectious that you cant help but laugh. And even better are the deep themes that appear if you watch closely enough, but dont affect the hilarity of the show if you dont notice them, makes the show fun to watch for everyone. i even wrote a paper on one of the episodes for my compostion class. there will never be another cartoon of pinky and the brains caliber. this show is the perfect thing to enjoy with your children and friends. it may take some convincing to get them to watch, but once they do they will be hooked.
A Pinky and the Brain fan For life!

World Domination -Round 3.......2007-05-31

By the time this show reached its third season, the joke was getting a little thinly spread. The plots became further away from the initial concept of two lab mice wanting to take over the world and more a showcase for the two lead characters' interaction. This however is not a criticism.
In TV the word 'formula' is dreaded. However, here the characters remain so endearing that the blueprint of every plot being vitually the same did not matter.
Most episodes followed this arc: -
1. Brain has a bizarre idea as to how to take over the world
2. To carry out this plan some equipment/money is needed
3. Brain comes up with an even more bizarre way to get said equipment/money
4. The plan fails due to Pinky's stupidity
5. The initial plan to take over the world is abandoned
6. Start over tomorrow night
Although there are exceptions, that basically sums up this and the previous two seasons but as the saying goes - If ain't broke don't fix it - and this formula was one that bore a lot of comedy fruit.
This show certainly beats some of the dross that graces our screens these days and had the nerve to demand that its audience had some intelligence.
Not laugh-a-minute but still a classic.
Ps .
I still can't believe that no-one has decided to revive these characters to star in a live-action movie (with CGI P&B of course).

Average customer rating:

Cartoon genius
Small rodents, huge mission.
Pinky and the Brain, Vol. 1
Good, but not great
Proves Its Mousey Worth

Pinky and the Brain, Vol. 1
Starring: Corey Burton , Richard Libertini , Joe Lala , John Vernon , and John Mariano
Director: Rusty Mills , Russell Calabrese , Kirk Tingblad , Jon McClenahan , and Charles Visser
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000FA57HG
Release Date: 2006-07-25

Amazon.com

Are you pondering what I'm pondering, animation fans? Yes! Pinky and the Brain have finally arrived on DVD, and they're going to take over the world! Well, at the very least, these genetically engineered lab mice are going to prove, once and for all, that they're the best comedy duo ever created for an animated series aimed at children.... but, why limit their appeal to kids? As executive producer Steven Spielberg said to the show's creators, he wanted this brilliant, Emmy®-winning half-hour cartoon series to lure adults into watching it with their kids, and like the classic Warner Brothers cartoons of the past, it's likely the grown-ups will enjoy it even more! This is largely due to the fact that Pinky and the Brain was produced under the radar, almost as if nobody was watching, so while this delightfully inventive spin-off from Animaniacs is purely entertaining for kids, it also includes a wide variety of in-jokes, movie spoofs, and outrageous dialogue that only older viewers can truly appreciate. It's all innocent fun, but if you watch and listen closely, you'll quickly realize that the writers and first-rate voice cast were having the time of their lives, inventing absurd plots and one-liners purely for their own creative pleasure. How else can you explain Pinky's bizarrely suggestive responses when The Brain asks "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?" or the hilarious send-ups of classic movies like The Third Man (spoofed here as "The Third Mouse"), The Manchurian Candidate ("The Pink Candidate"), and the tearjerking TV classic Brian's Song (satirized, of course, as "Brain's Song")?

Better yet, these 22 episodes culled from P&TB's four-season run (1995-98) demonstrate how the show's basic concept--two talking lab mice ("one is a genius, the other's insane") and their nightly attempts at global domination--lent itself to a broad spectrum of hilariously ingenious plots, with no restrictions of timeframe. So you've got episodes in ancient Egypt, Napoleonic France, and 1940s Vienna, along with contemporary schemes and shorter, time-filler episodes (like "Cheese Roll Call") that qualify as mini-masterpieces of educational comedy. "A Pinky and the Brain Christmas" is a bona-fide sentimental classic (offering proof that the Brain's got a soft heart, after all), and the polar-opposite pairing of Pinky and the Brain is just about perfect, largely due to the voice talents of Maurice LaMarche (expertly channeling Orson Welles as the Brain) and Emmy-winner Rob Paulsen as Pinky (both seen, to splendid effect, in disc 2's behind-the-scenes featurette). Additional voice talents include Roddy MacDowall (as the Brain's nemesis, Snowball) and Ernest Borgnine, but the show's primary strength is its go-for-broke writing, brilliant animation (a flawless homage to Warner Bros. tradition, yet uniquely styled to match the material), and music scores (mostly by Richard Stone) that pay tribute to the late, great WB cartoon composer Carl Stalling while incorporating frequent passages from the classical repertoire. All in all, Pinky and the Brain is perfect entertainment for the young and young-at-heart, destined for cult-favorite status as one of the best overlooked TV series of the 1990s. As Pinky might say, "Poit! Narf! Oh, this is SO much fun!" --Jeff Shannon

Description

Customer Reviews:

Cartoon genius.......2007-07-23

For anyone who loves cartoons, this one is hilarious. Brain, the mouse who wants to take over the world always get thwarted by his trusty sidekick, Pinky. All the adventures and plans for taking over the world is pure funny stuff, and Pinky's famous catchphrase, "Narff", just makes you want to laugh. Really good for young kids to watch and laugh with. Join in each episode for the two mice who want to take over the world. Narff!!

Small rodents, huge mission........2007-06-30

"One is a genius, the other's insane."

The Emmy-nominated "Animaniacs" spin-off is now available on DVD with 22 great episodes on four discs.

Deep inside the Acme Laboratories live two small lab mice with one big and difficult goal: world domination. With the elaborate and ingenious plans of The Brain and the comic relief of Pinky, these little guys go the extra mile at their vicious attempts at ruling the world at any and every means possible. No matter how dangerous the operations may be, it always ends up in hilarious failure. Still, they always keep trying nonetheless.

Episodes like "Das Mouse", "Brainania", "Napoleon Brainaparte", "The Mouse of La Mancha", "Plan Brain From Outer Space", and "Brain's Song", these episodes will have you laughing and thinking how and why the world would be dominated by two little mice.

Also, check out the special feature, "Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering?" with voice director Andrea Romano and the voices of Pinky and Brain, Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche as they discuss some of the great times working on the show with the great Steven Speilberg.

If YOU plan on global domination yourself, you'd better leave that to those tiny professionals. And for more plans and flubs by these guys, get the the show that gave them their big break, "Animaniacs", also available on DVD.

Pinky and the Brain, Vol. 1.......2007-05-16

If you were ever a fan of this show, then this four disk set is for you. I own both Vols. 1 & 2, and I like Vol.1 much better. The extra features on it you can miss, but the content of the disks are well worth the money.

Good, but not great.......2007-05-09

I remember liking the series, which is why I picked it up. However, it was too long and not as good as Animaniacs.

Proves Its Mousey Worth.......2007-03-10

Pinky and the Brain are two of the cleverest animated characters ever developed and the series is just perfect from the theme song to the many clever pop culture/political references. As others have said can be enjoyed at different levels by all age groups. A worthy heir to the dry humor crown of Rocky and Bullwinkle!

Average customer rating:

Classic cartooning
Of Mice and Mankind.
Narf
Awesome!
Pinky and the Brain Vol 2

Pinky and the Brain, Vol. 2
Starring: Corey Burton , Richard Libertini , Joe Lala , John Vernon , and John Mariano
Director: Rusty Mills , Russell Calabrese , Kirk Tingblad , Jon McClenahan , and Charles Visser
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000HWZ4DY
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Description

Customer Reviews:

Classic cartooning.......2007-09-16

These two are always funny and entertainig, for me anyway. Set two didn't have the great kind of line up set 1 did but I enjoied it just the same. Cleverly well written and executed. This show still cracks me up! Light hearted fun for a day off or when you need to 'get away' from a bad day or when you just want to laugh a bit. Great episodes and good times.

Of Mice and Mankind........2007-06-30

"Meet Pinky and the Brain who want to rule the universe..." (Yeah, you know how it goes.)

The little lab rats with a gigantic plot are back in another new 4-Disc DVD set with 22 more episodes that may leave you in stitches. As they scour the globe in hopes of ruling it, the smart mouse, The Brain, and his dim-witted sidekick, Pinky, will finally get their chance. ...Or not.

Either way, witness their latest and perhaps not so greatest plans in episodes like "Hoop Schemes", "This Old Mouse", "Brain Storm", "The Pinky Protocol", "Mice Don't Dance", "Brain Acres", "The Real Life", "Brainy Jack", and my favorite, "Pinky and the Brain ...and Larry". These episodes may not guarantee success in taking over the world, but they do guarantee big laughs.

This new set has a brand-new special feature called "The Audition". This has the voices of Pinky and the Brain, Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche, giving a voice-acting lesson to superstars Mark Hamil and Wayne Knight for a casting call of an upcoming movie. (I'm REALLY anxious to see that. The movie, I mean.)

The world may not yet be their oyster (or in this case, their cheese platter), Pinky and the Brain's outlandish schemes for world conquest still continue. Plus, get the new "Animaniacs, Vol. 2" with some more wacky attempts at their ever-difficult goal.

-"Narf !"
-"I am not amused."

Narf.......2007-06-16

Next to Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam, this is the best cartoon ever.

Awesome!.......2007-05-07

This is one of the funniest cartoons ever. I have Volume 1 also, they're both great. Also, free shipping got it here in 3 days. This couldn't be better!

Pinky and the Brain Vol 2 .......2007-04-27

The continuation of this lovable series. So quirky, and funny. Thier ideas are so varied, and while I get the older and "dated" jokes, my young daughter just loves the story lines and characters. This is all of season 2, but ends right before Pinky and the Brain become pets of Elmyra. None of the Pinky and the Brain Volumes contain the original Animaniac P&B episodes, so dont worry about getting duplicates if you also get the Animaniac volumes. If you enjoy P & B you sould also try thier original show Animaiacs.

Average customer rating:

R/V of Pinky & the Brain

Pinky and the Brain, Vol. 1-3
Starring: Corey Burton , Richard Libertini , Joe Lala , John Vernon , and John Mariano
Director: Rusty Mills , Russell Calabrese , Kirk Tingblad , Jon McClenahan , and Charles Visser
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000O179J0
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Customer Reviews:

R/V of Pinky & the Brain.......2007-07-26

A timely collection of classic cartoons designed to suit an adults sense of humour rather than children's in a clean way. Easy to sit down and watch one episode as a means of relaxation at the end of a long day or simply veg out for a whole day with the series.

Average customer rating:

Interesting film for its time
AN UNITENTIONALLY RACIST BUT INTERESTING MOVIE
PINKY
Pretty risky for a 1940's movie...
Excellant, right up there with WHITE MAN'S BURDEN

Pinky
Starring: Jeanne Crain , Ethel Barrymore , Ethel Waters , William Lundigan , and Basil Ruysdael
Director: John Ford , and Elia Kazan
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B00066FAOE
Release Date: 2006-01-10

Amazon.com essential video

It used to be called "miscegenation," and it hasn't been a scandalous or taboo subject for several decades now. (Every other prime-time TV series seems to have an interracial romance going, and nobody bats an eyelash.) These welcome social changes have stranded Elia Kazan's 1949 weepie about a light-skinned African American woman (played less than convincingly by lily-white Jeanne Crain) who tries to "pass"---and falls in love with a white man. Director Douglas Sirk mined similar territory, and got a lot more juice out of it, in Imitation of Life. To his credit, perhaps, the director of On the Waterfront just doesn't have cheap soapsuds in his blood, and he makes the fatal mistake of taking a solemn and high-minded approach to this overheated material. The picture isn't even a hoot. Ethel Waters is the aunt who raises Pinky, while concealing her true lineage; it's a strong performance with a simmering subtext of anger. David Chute

Description

Pinky (Jeanne Crain), a black woman who works as a nurse in Boston, finds she is able to "pass for white." Afraid her true heritage will be discovered, she leaves her white fiancé (William Lundigan) and returns home to Mississippi. There, she helps her ailing grandmother (Ethel Waters) by caring for her employer (Ethel Barrymore), an imperious plantation owner. When she names Pinky heiress to her estate, the community rises in resentment, triggering a sensational court trial.

Subject of landmark Supreme Court case in film censorship, this story about a mulatto woman's rights against prejudice, became itself, a battle for civil rights.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting film for its time.......2007-09-10

Despite this film punching all my uncomfortable buttons, I can appreciate what the filmmakers were TRYING to do. There's no sense in me trying to get irate about how the African Americans in this film were portrayed because according to my grandmother's stories, the film is pretty accurate for that time and place in America history. I think the controversy of the time or even now was the fact that the lead was portrayed by a white woman. But then again so was Sarah Jane in the Imitation of life. Of course if a black actress could pass for white, the last thing she would admit to Hollywood directors was that she black. Did that make sense? Ethel Barrymore was just born to act. Her performance was great and of course it's great to see Ethel Waters as well-though I perfer to hear her sing. For me, the ending makes this a good film for me. Pinky opens a Nursing School for African Americans, and at least that's a positive thing.

AN UNITENTIONALLY RACIST BUT INTERESTING MOVIE.......2007-06-20

If a very dark skinned Italian has a child with a blonde haired blue eyed German does that make said child an Italian? No, said child is simply considered white. However, transpose dark skinned Italian with very light skinned African American and the resultant child will still be classed as BLACK!
This movie is the perfect example of deeply seated subconscious white racism that without knowing it views black people as some kind of genetic contaminant.

What the hell is passing for white! Why in the hell should a woman as light as our protaganist in this movie even consider herself black when she is no more black than the hypothetical child I mentioned earlier is Italian.

As a historical document this a very interesting, well executed and very bold for its time movie. But as a morality tale about the evils of racism
it clearly fails because it is itself, racist; albeit quite unintentionally.
Check out my review of "PASSING FOR WHO YOU REALLY ARE" BY A.D. POWELL on amazon.co.uk. Buy yourself a copy of this very interesting book and then you'll understand my point of view more completely.

PINKY.......2007-05-09

very interesting story about a black mother, Ethel Waters, raising her mix color daughter. The mother washed clothes and baked goodies to sale to folks just to make money to send Pinky, her daughter, to nursing school. The old lady in this movie, who was very ill, showed a little racial differences in the beginning of the movie but understood that Pinky was to be a nurse and care for the needed. she dieds and leave the house to Pinky which she changed into a Hospital for children. Lovely story.

Pretty risky for a 1940's movie..........2007-01-11

This was a very good movie for its time. What I love about these old movies is that they don't rely on special effects and explosions to make a good movie. There's a strong story here, good acting, and I was left wondering at the end "what next?". Crain's character, Pinky, is a quarter black and she's been passing for white until she goes home to her southern town. Not used to the ill treatment of blacks at the hands of whites, she slowly adjusts as she begins caring for Miss Em (Barrymore). When Miss Em dies, she leaves her house to Pinky. This incenses her cousin's wife and the villain drags Pinky to court. I will most likely watch this again, as it had a real, honest feel to it, even though Lena Horne probably would have been good for the role of Pinky (I won't argue Crain's talent here, though; she's good).

Excellant, right up there with WHITE MAN'S BURDEN.......2007-01-05

This is a great movie for "Thinking People." Lemmings & Rascists need not read any further.

This movie is a study in humanity and racism in this country. The protagonist is a young biracial woman who "grew up Black" in the deep south during the 30s-40s. When her grandmother sent her to the big city in the north, she "passed" as white. See there is a way of thinking which says that if you have "one drop" of Black blood in you (for those who don't understand DNA) that you are Black. Well, in polite, intelligent society- who cares?

After becoming a nurse, Pinky returns to her hometown and at first she is treated as White and once that her identity is discovered, you see her instant transformation to a Black person.

The movie full demonstrates the lunacy racism and shows you just how differently humans are often treated jjust because of ancestry.

Loved it. A lot to to ponder. It could easily be remade with modern examples.

Average customer rating:

Gypsy's guided tour of the burly-Q show
Burlesque Queen
The men were all singing , "I wish I was in Dixie."
A back-stage seat to see that THIS is why Barbara Stanwyck is a star.
AMBIENCE - MURDER - BURLESQUE: WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE !

Barbara Stanwyck: Lady of Burlesque
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck , Michael O'Shea , Iris Adrian , Charles Dingle , and J. Edward Bromberg
Director: William A. Wellman
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
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ASIN: B00006AUGE
Release Date: 2002-04-16

Customer Reviews:

Gypsy's guided tour of the burly-Q show.......2007-08-01

In 1941, Simon & Schuster published a mystery novel called "The G-String Murders." On the title page was the name of author Gypsy Rose Lee. Yes, the very same Gypsy Rose Lee who is "Baby Rose" in that musical based on her early life, "Gypsy." The book is set in a burlesque theater densely populated by comics, strippers, stage crew, hangers on and one serial killer. The several crimes were eventually solved by a stripper who was coincidentally named "Gypsy Rose Lee." By the standards of the time, it was a good, solid story in a racy setting. The book was a best seller.

In fact, Gyps did not write the book, although her autobiography published many years later and her successful stint as a talk show host on Bay Area television certainly suggest she had the gift of gab for it, if not the inclination. The book was actually written by Craig Rice, a well-known and popular hard-boiled mystery writer of the day. Gyps provided the hook, the background, a few anecdotes and some dialogue. Rice put it all together, exchanging writer's credit for the payday the book generated.

(By the way, "Craig Rice" was also a false creation. In those days, literary detectives were hard drinking, hard-boiled and surrounded by hard-hearted dames. Only men could write about such he-men, no ladies need apply. That being the case, or so a vastly knowledgeable mystery book specialist informed me many years ago when I first inquired about the true authorship of the book, a certain lady created "Craig Rice" to play on an equal footing with the boys. In the end, she outshone all but the very best.)

In 1943, the book was toned down a bit to be filmed as "Lady of Burlesque." Sadly, Gypsy Rose Lee was not cast to portray the fictional "Gypsy Rose Lee." That was a shame, because Gyps was funny, gorgeous, sexy and she brought an instinctive hauteur and class to her down-and-dirty art form. She was a hoot!

In Gyps' place was cast Barbara Stanwick, who was funny, gorgeous, sexy and who brought a much more earthy persona to the film than Gypsy would have done. Since everyone knew that Barbara wasn't Gypsy, her character was renamed to "Dixie Daisy" and her position in the hierarchy of theatrical stars lowered by several steps from that of the actual Gypsy Rose Lee.

Dixie Daisy is the headliner of a big-time burlesque review that plays at an old near-Broadway theater in New York that once had known the heady glory of being an opera house. She is a stripper, but she also has the lead in the review's big singing and dancing production number. In addition to that, she is the wise-cracking dame with the ever-running motor in the skits of the comics.

Michael O'Shea is cast as the Top Banana among the comics, Bitt Brannigan, and a very young Pinky Lee (no relation) as his Second Banana. When the comic skits actually appear on stage, though, it instantly becomes clear that Pinky, a real-life burlesque comedian, is a natural-born Top Banana, while O'Shea, funny hat, baggy pants and all, just fades into the painted scenery. Sadly, the comics perform material created for the movie rather than such classic skits as "Floogle Street" or "Slowly I Turned."

Off stage, Bitt Brannigan is the hard-edged, generally unreliable, vaguely comic, vaguely heroic love interest for Dixie. Watching O'Shea, who was competent but never rose to the top rung in Hollywood, it struck me that he was so obviously doing a Bob Hope impression that I could only wonder whether the part was originally intended for Hope. Hope and Stanwick, now that would have been something to see! Certainly, Top Banana Hope would never have faded into the scenery for the likes of a mere Pinky Lee.

There is another excellent Second Banana in the cast. She is Iris Adrian as Gee Gee Graham, Dixie's pal and sidekick. Iris was a short, brassy, blowsy, bosomy, wise-cracking blonde whose name was largely unknown to the general public, but whose face and voice would have been instantly recognizable. In movies, radio and television, she could be counted on to appear whenever Abbott and Costello or Jack Benny or Bob Hope needed a reliably astringent dame.

Stanwick is terrific and as red hot as the old Production Code would allow. (Even so, I wish Gyps had got the part.)

"Lady of Burlesque" is not a great picture but it is as entertaining as all get out and a true credit to the old studio system. That's worth five stars as far as I'm concerned.

Burlesque Queen.......2007-07-14

This movie is a lovely combination of comedy, music and mystery. The characters are wonderful with a superior cast of regulars. Barbara started as a dancer and in this she shows some of the talent-well worth watching.

The men were all singing , "I wish I was in Dixie." .......2007-04-30

For obvious reasons. Barbara Stanwyck is Dixie Daisy, the headlining lady at the old opera theatre, turned burlesque house. She gets the close-ups & plenty of face time in this mediocre murder mystery. She is the only performer in this with a better than average performance. Nothing average about Stanwyck's acting. This movie stalls in several places as some really bad vadvillians get to do their bits. That apparently is part of the charm. They are supposed to be bad. Everybody is aspiring to move up to the big time. Dixie has competition from other "ladies" who resent her recent stardom. They are strangled by their own G-Strings. Dixie is the main suspect & she has motive. The actual murderer becomes quite evident & you will know that moment when you see it. Back stage scenes are fun but not particularly inspiring. Not a well known Stanwyck movie but it's worth it just for her.

A back-stage seat to see that THIS is why Barbara Stanwyck is a star........2006-03-29

I have not always understood the appeal of Stanwyck as a star. She tended to have two channels, the stone cold witch in her film noir work, and in her comedies, the cold business woman with a melty heart.... both got very formulaic.
I believe that every actor or actress who "breaks out" into fame has one film that you can point to and say "THIS is why she is a star." LADY OF BURLESQUE is that film for Stanwyck. It has everything she is known for, plus a vaudevillian side that was not often seen in her other work. She really was an all round talent, a triple threat. She acts, she sings, she dances, and boys, she bumps and grinds. She's lovely and a tomboy. What a treat. It's all here.
What is even better is that this film has all that too. It is a backstage murder mystery set in the seedy world of Burlesque. It has realistic behind the scenes shots that have rarely been equaled. Backstage usually IS this run-down, even in the best theatres, and when you're waiting to go on, this IS what it looks like from backstage.
The murder mystery holds up, although the "princess" is simply a camp hoot, and it has humor throughout. A real treat about a time and type of theatre that is long gone.

AMBIENCE - MURDER - BURLESQUE: WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE !.......2006-02-22

IN A NUTSHELL:

How did this film get past the censors? Nevertheless, an excellent film featuring a very young and steamy Barbara Stanwyck -- 63 years ago!

WHAT "LADY OF BURLESQUE" STARRING BARBARA STANWYCK IS ALL ABOUT:

This dark comedy-drama-mystery, Directed by, William Wellman was also known as "Striptease Lady" or "The G-String Murders", based on the book of that title by Gypsy Rose Lee. Producer, Hunt Stromberg, who purchased the rights for the film, was also the Producer of "The Thin Man" film series. The atmosphere of this film did have a resemblence to that series, but "LADY OF BURLESQUE" is much grittier, and less class-conscious in every respect. Nevertheless, the melding of backstage atmosphere, and burlesque-vaudeville style, stage entertainment, gave the film an urgent immediacy, and a texture of surreal reality, which is hard to create, especially in the era of film censors. For those reasons, this film is rather special, and certainly worth a look. The bonus comes in the form of Barbara Stanwyck [Dixie Daisy] who plays the provocative headliner, and who comfortably goes through the film as scantily clad as a "James Bond Girl". Of course, the murder-mystery is set at the burlesque house itself, which works rather well, and eventually leads the police and Ms. Stanwyck to the killer.

PARTIAL LIST OF THE CAST OF THE "LADY OF BURLESQUE"

-----*- Barbara Stanwyck - Dixie Daisy
-----*- Michael O'Shea - Bitt Brannigan
-----*- J. Edward Bromberg - S.B. Foss
-----*- Iris Adrian - Gee Gee Graham
-----*- Marion Martin - Alice Angel
-----*- Gloria Dickson - Dolly Baxter
-----*- Pinky Lee - Mandy
-----*- Victoria Faust - Lolita La Verne
-----*- Stephanie Bachelor - Princess Nirvena

MAJOR CREW-MEMBERS

-----*- William Wellman - Director
-----*- Hunt Stromberg - Producer
-----*- James Gunn - Screenwriter
-----*- Gypsy Rose Lee - Short Story Author
-----*- Robert de Grasse - Cinematographer
-----*- Art Lange - Composer (Music Score)
-----*- James Newcom - Editor
-----*- Joseph B. Platt - Production Designer
-----*- Bernard Herzbrun - Art Director
-----*- Edith Head - Costume Designer
-----*- Natalie Visart - Costume Designer

BOTTOM LINE:

Excellent old film that has been very well transferred to DVD in both sound, and video.

The Pinky Violence Collection - Includes Audio CD (Criminal Woman: Killing Melody/ Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom/ Girl Boss Guerilla/ Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess)

Average customer rating:

Topless females, do not a movie make!
Japan 70's exploitation at its best!!!
Wow!
YOU NEED THIS...
Totally Worth It

The Pinky Violence Collection - Includes Audio CD (Criminal Woman: Killing Melody/ Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom/ Girl Boss Guerilla/ Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess)
Starring: Miki Sugimoto , Seiko Saburi , Reiko Ike , Misuzu Oota , and Rie Saotome
Director: Norifumi Suzuki , and Atsushi Mihori
Manufacturer: Panik House Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000BLI5UU
Release Date: 2005-12-06

Description

"Criminal Woman: Killing Melody" (Japanese title: Zenka Onna Karoshi Bushi)
Kicking off the internationally renowned action series known as Zero Woman, Miki Sugimoto electrifies Criminal Woman: Killing Melody with raw sexuality, searing physical prowess and a reckless passion for revenge. The violence is as hard as the women are beautiful and when it comes time for the naked knife-fights - look out!

"Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom" (Japanese title: Kyoufu Joshi Koukou Bouroku Rinchi Kyoushitsu)
Terrifying Girls' High School opens with a female school clique bloodletting a fellow student amidst verbal abuse and harsh accusation. The terrified girl breaks free of the life-draining vacuum syringe and races to the roof, where her tormentors force her off the ledge and stomp on her fingers until she falls to her death. This is all before the main titles! And that clique? They aren't even the real bad girls! This is reform school, and the new crop of inmates (whose apprehension we witness) includes Miki Sugimoto and Reiko Ike. This is like Mean Girls via Caged Heat as written by Jess Franco and directed by Russ Meyer. All those Takashi Miike fans need to check out this film.

"Girl Boss Guerilla" (Japanese title: Sukeban Gerira)
Female bikers! Catfights! Gang violence! Sukeban Guerilla expands on classic exploitation "bad girl" archetypes with an explosive abandon. Fans of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and Switchblade Sisters should brace themselves for the be-all, end-all and show-all of what's possible in the realms of grindhouse girls gone way-past-wild.

"Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess" (Japanese title: Zubenko Bancho Zange No Neuchi Mo Nai)
This was the final entry in the Zubeko Bancho series, with sexy-and-sweet Reiko Oshida heading up a cast of gangster-girl wannabes in a go-go dancing maelstrom of Japanese music, fashion and kitsch. Truly a film that defies description, but imagine a Jack Hill production of Hair with an unsupervised Riot Girl cast, and you're starting to get the picture. The result is a delicious example of Japanese pop culture in high transition from the groovy '60s to the dangerous '70s.

Brand New 16x9 transfers with completely re-mastered video and audio.
Includes Audio CD, Reiko Ike Sings!
Also Includes 26 page color booklet: Toei's Bad Girl Cinema by Author Chris D.

Customer Reviews:

Topless females, do not a movie make!.......2007-01-24

If you like topless females jumping around, this collection rates a 5 star. The film makers really need to go to school or watch other films and see how to plot and write a action film using very pretty females to keep interest going. I can only say I am glad I didn't pay full price. I am a big fan of japanese movies, I have been buying Asian films for almost 40 years.

Japan 70's exploitation at its best!!!.......2006-07-19

Panik House has done an outstanding job releasing "The Pinky Violence Collection" along with "Sex & Fury" and "Female Yakuza Tale". This has to be the best box set this year. You get great extra items like an awesome booklet, music cd with Ike Reiko singing, huge sticker and more. These films have been remastered and support anamorphic video for 16:9. There was an issue with my "Girl Boss Guerrila" disc, but Panik House replaced it immediately. If you love films like: "Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs" (the original), the "Female Prisoner Scorpion" films with Kaji Meiko, "Lady Snowblood", "Gate of Flesh", the "Stray Cat Rock" films and "School of the Holy Beast", then you will LOVE The Pinky Violence Collection. Ike Reiko and Sugimoto Miki are absolutely GORGEOUS and I bet they still are, just like Kaji Meiko still is. Not to mention, the over the top Yoko Mihara makes some appearences as well. It doesn't get any better than this, trust me. MUST BUY!!! MUST BUY!!! MUST BUY!!!

Wow!.......2006-02-05

A pricey item, but Panik House has gone out of their way to provide value. Fans of Scorpion and Zero Woman (the old films - not the mostly-rubbish shot on video remakes) will be plenty satisfied with the selection. Loads of fun.

My only quibble is that some of Panik House's remastered trailers are without titles. They are probably from original elements, which is nice, but we lose some of the lurid and over the top descriptions used to sell this stuff - which is half the fun of vintage trailers. Still, this is well worth it for fans of killer-babe retro sinema.

The least of these is "Worthless to Confess," which is still a reasonaly entertaining melodrama with some interesting genre elements that pulls out the stops for a wild finale. "Terrifying Girl's High School" is a bizarre sleazefest from Norifumi Suzuki - not as sick as "Star of David" but getting there. Suzuki also gave us the excellent "Girl Boss Guerilla," and "Criminal Woman" was also more than satisfying. The CD is an excellent supplement. Reiko Ike's singing is so so, but can that woman moan! Fans of Italo-lounge, take note.

Honestly, this is a stellar package, and you can't go wrong. 2005 was a fantastic year for the DVD format, and this is like the cherry on the cake.

Girl power!

YOU NEED THIS..........2006-01-23

Wow,what a package Panik House put together for this release!
All four transfers look stunning,with eye-popping colors.The audio cd is a particularly "fun" supplemental one doesnt usually encounter with DVD's - my wife thought I had on a porno with all the moanin' & groanin' leaking outta the speakers!According to the liner notes,this recording is quite rare so this inclusion alone may be worth the price tag for some!
The enclosed notes/booklet is sharp,with many rare stills and a nice introduction to this particular film genre that I suspect many Westerners (like myself) have had very limited exposure too.
These films are pure trash (and i loved every single minute!) -
dont wait until it's too late!!

Totally Worth It.......2005-12-09

Just the packaging alone makes this box set worthwhile. I've never seen anything like it. The exterior is like a Trapper Keeper, slick plastic that's kind of puffy and soft to the touch. It then folds out into four DVD trays and has a really well designed booklet, talking about the films and the genre (Sukeban). I just got my copy and everyone that's been over and seen it has flipped out about the box, `cause it just looks so cool (and is so pink). The bonus CD of Reiko Ike singing is mounted in with the booklet and is weird and kind of a novelty. I put it on at a party a couple of weeks ago and people were way into it.

The movies are cool too. "Criminal Woman: Killing Melody" is my favorite, but the end of "Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess" is amazing. There's no way that Quentin Tarintino didn't see it before he made "Kill Bill".

I just read on the website of the company that put out the set (Panik House) that they pre-sold 2/3 of the run of 10,000 and they think they're going to sell out soon, so if you're at all interested in getting a copy of this you should. Now. It was totally worth the money.

Average customer rating:

Gypsy's guided tour of the burly-Q show
Burlesque Queen
The men were all singing , "I wish I was in Dixie."
A back-stage seat to see that THIS is why Barbara Stanwyck is a star.
AMBIENCE - MURDER - BURLESQUE: WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE !

Lady of Burlesque
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck , Michael O'Shea , Iris Adrian , Charles Dingle , and J. Edward Bromberg
Director: William A. Wellman
Manufacturer: ROAN
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00020HAKQ
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Customer Reviews:

Gypsy's guided tour of the burly-Q show.......2007-08-01

Burlesque Queen.......2007-07-14

The men were all singing , "I wish I was in Dixie." .......2007-04-30

A back-stage seat to see that THIS is why Barbara Stanwyck is a star........2006-03-29

AMBIENCE - MURDER - BURLESQUE: WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE !.......2006-02-22

Average customer rating:

Very Nice
LOVE Steven Spielberg's cartoon characters
Are you pondering what I'm pondering?
LOVE IT!
Are you pondering what I'm pondering?

Pinky and the Brain, Vols. 1 & 2
Starring: Corey Burton , Richard Libertini , Joe Lala , John Vernon , and John Mariano
Director: Rusty Mills , Russell Calabrese , Kirk Tingblad , Jon McClenahan , and Charles Visser
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Animation | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

Kids & Family | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000HWZ4G6
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Customer Reviews:

Very Nice.......2007-06-26

A few years ago I watched 'Pinky and the Brain'. When I saw it was out on DVD, I knew I had to have it. The best cartoon ever!

LOVE Steven Spielberg's cartoon characters.......2007-05-07

I used to see this on television and LOVED it. The cartoons definitely have the physical humor to appeal to children, and the dialogue to appeal to adults.

It is formula driven, BUT, the writing and the animation are superb.

I like that the producers have begun offering all the episodes in DVD sets. It is a welcome addition to my library.

Don't hesitate if you appreciate good writing, historical references, contemporary references, fantastic animation!

Are you pondering what I'm pondering?.......2007-03-26

YES! I couldn't wait to relive the days of this great cartoon series. The animation may have been for the kids, but the social and political comments and references are definitely for the adults. And hysterically funny. Both volumes are very nicely boxed and the discs have extras. Volume 3 is available for pre-order, and that's great news!

LOVE IT!.......2007-03-25

Are you pondering what I'm pondering? Sure, but horizontal stripes make me look hippy.

A must for any fan. The best part (really!) is the extra material with Maurice LaMarche and Rob Paulsen -- they are as intelligent, witty and friendly with each other as you'd ever hope. Restores your faith in humanity.

Are you pondering what I'm pondering?.......2007-03-25

It's hard to believe, but for a short time in the mid-1990's, there was a prime-time TV show about two cartoon lab mice trying to take over the world. I expect to have a hard time convincing my future grandchildren that I really lived through such an incredible, magical time, but it's true.

That being said, I'm not sure how much the quality of the show benefited from the prime-time slot. For one thing, the Brain's sarcastic put-downs of Pinky got a little more mean-spirited in nature - possibly because the writers thought that they needed the extra "edge" in order to "make it" in prime-time. (They were wrong, as it turned out, because the show was eventually taken out of prime time and put back in the weekend kids' lineup).

I also thought that the addition of the Snowball character hurt the show. One of the things I like best about Warner Brothers cartoons is the complete absence of the clear-cut, black-and-white morality that is so characteristic of Disney cartoons. For example, Wily E. Coyote doesn't try to eat the Roadrunner because he's bad or evil - he just does it because he's a coyote, and as a coyote, it's his nature to try to eat roadrunners. Similarly, the Brain doesn't try to take over the world because he's evil - it's just his nature to try to take over the world. Snowball kind of wrecked that formula, because Snowball actually WAS unremittingly evil. Fortunately, Snowball was only in a handful of episodes.

Overall, though, Pinky and the Brain was a pretty amazingly awesome show. I mean, where else could you watch two lab mice comment on history, human nature, and popular culture while trying to take over the world? And for those of us fortunate enough to have been alive for that brief period in the mid-1990's when it appeared that Pinky and the Brain just might take over the world, this is an incredible reminder of those historic days.

NARF!

Average customer rating:

How to grow up in a big town
SQUEEZE
squeeze
Harrowing, yet hopeful
Gritty and Disturbing

Squeeze
Starring: Tyrone Burton , Eddie Cutanda , Phuong Duong , Geoffrey Rhue , and Russell G. Jones
Director: Robert Patton-Spruill
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005UQA1
Release Date: 2002-02-12

Customer Reviews:

How to grow up in a big town.......2007-06-08

This is a great movie. It's hard to grow up when you live in a neighborhood like this. In my opinion the movie is very realistic in a lot of ways and as a social worker I can say that I've seen a lot of these lives.

SQUEEZE.......2004-08-10

TO DAY IS AUGUST 9 2004 N I JUST WATCHED THIS 4 THA FIRST TIME N I LOVED IT SO MUCH ITS BASEICALLY ABOUT 3 KIDS INVOLVED IN DRUGS AND VIOLANCE N HOW THAY COPE WITH IT THIS MOVIE GO HARD 4 ALL THA PEEPS WHO KNO WUT THAT MEAN IM FEELIN THIS MOVIE IT MADE ME CRY MAYBE IT WILL MAKE U CRY 2 BUT IF U HAVENT SEEN THIS MOVIE RENT IT OR EVEN BUY IT ON THA SPOT ITS A GREAT MOVIE

squeeze.......2000-08-17

this was a great movie. i saw it like 10 times in 1997. its basically about three teens struggling to survive through out their lives filled with drugs and crimes. if ur like me u will love this movie.

Harrowing, yet hopeful.......2000-08-09

This independent film portrays the many fears and challenges associated with today's adolescents. Patton-Spruill vividly recounts how three youth (a/k/a "PG-13 Crew") become involved with gangs, drugs and violence. Considering the age and the harrowing accounts portrayed in the film, one begins to realize the impressionability of youth in general. Consequently, Patton-Spruill enables the viewer to understand the reasons behind the youth's decisions, and how easily they were trapped. However, getting them out alive is even harder, if not impossible. Patton-Spruill incorporates how the community can help these youth and provides hope for the future.

Gritty and Disturbing.......2000-02-28

Squeeze was a great movie about three youths coping with life in Dorcester Mass, a less than nice part of Boston. I found it very realistic, and a scary portrayal of street life. It disturbed me very much. It was very insightful, and a must see for anyone interested in the inner cities.

DVD:

DVD

DVD