One of the best books I have ever read is Margaret Landon's true story of Anna Leonowens, who at the age of 33, went to Siam as a governess to tutor the king's children. A widow of incredible courage and talent, her story is moving as well adventurous, and this film is a marvelous adaptation of Anna's time in that strange and foreign land, with her small son to take care of. Landon's book of course also inspired the terrific Rodgers and Hammerstein musical and the film starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner, as well as the far less successful 1999 remake.
Rex Harrison, in his first film for an American studio is riveting as King Mongkut; it's a sensitive and insightful portrayal, with his beautiful voice and enunciation making the most of the intelligent script, and Irene Dunne is a... More Info About This DVD Actor(s): Irene Dunne - Rex Harrison - Linda Darnell Director(s): John Cromwell DVD Release Date: Released the 24 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $14.98 Your Price: $11.23YOU SAVE $3.75!
Buy it
This high point in the 1940s vogue for movies about family life at the turn of the century was directed by George Stevens (Shane), and stars Irene Dunne as the matriarch of a Norwegian family that faces hard knocks with grace in 1910 (or so) San Francisco. Based on John Van Druten's hit play (derived from Kathryn Forbes's autobiographical memoir), the film is gorgeously rendered and quite moving as an act of memory. The sterling cast of character actors--Edgar Bergen, Rudy Vallee, Oscar Homolka, Barbara Bel Geddes, Ellen Corby, Cedric Hardwicke--add great texture and a depth of experience that make the film feel quite lived-in. Hardwicke's turn as a penniless boarder who "pays" his rent by reciting from classic literature is a special highlight. --Tom KeoghMore Info About This DVD Actor(s): Irene Dunne - Barbara Bel Geddes Director(s): George Stevens DVD Release Date: Released the 07 December 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $19.97 Your Price: $15.98YOU SAVE $3.99!
Buy it
The trials and tribulations of a young couple who lose their baby (Dunne miscarries during an earthquake in Japan) then later decide to adopt a little girl. This film is an unusual blend of tragedy/comedy. Irene Dunne was over 40 when she played in this but she can pull it off. Cary Grant was nominated for his first AA. If I remember correctly the film opens with Irene Dunne playing a 78 recording of "To a Wild Rose". Edgar Buchannan is memorable as Applejack and Beulah Bondi does usual amazing acting as the head of the adoption agency. This is a rather strange movie, as it has fine elements of comedy and it definitely has tearjerking moments yet the combination is rather uneasy (in retrospect, it always has been), but it definitely makes the eyes water, so be forewarned! More Info About This DVD Actor(s): Irene Dunne - Cary Grant Director(s): George Stevens DVD Release Date: Released the 16 October 2003 Special Order
List Price: $4.99 Your Price: $4.99YOU SAVE $0!
Buy it
One of the top five screwball comedies of the '30s, this helped to cement a genre that waxed golden until the end of WWII. Director Leo McCarey won an Oscar for Best Director for this 1937 romantic comedy--one of the most successful films of his career. Irene Dunne and Cary Grant are a squabbling couple who separate because of supposed infidelities on both sides. They part but cannot really keep away from each other. Grant finds himself hooked up with a socialite, Dunne becomes engaged to a millionaire hick played by the hapless Ralph Bellamy (as if he ever stood a chance as the "other" man!). When not dating others or baiting one another in a verbal war, Grant and Dunne wage a custody battle over their pathetic pooch. Gags, double entendre, witty remarks, snide comments, and fast-paced... More Info About This DVD Actor(s): Irene Dunne - Cary Grant Director(s): Leo McCarey DVD Release Date: Released the 11 March 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $24.95 Your Price: $22.46YOU SAVE $2.49!
Buy it
Ah, remember those good old days when father ruled the roost, keeping a tight rein on the money, the kids, and the docile wife? Well, neither does Clarence Day (William Powell), the title character in Life with Father. Taking place in New York in 1883, this charming comedy purports to show the life of a strict father managing his house and his family, only to be constantly--and unknowingly--out-manipulated by his somewhat ditzy wife, Vinnie (Irene Dunne). Day is terrifying enough that maids keep quitting, but Vinnie manages to keep Day under control--that is, until she discovers that he was never baptized. A battle ensues as she desperately tries to ensure that they will one day meet in heaven, and all the while he severely maintains that the church has no business messing with a... More Info About This DVD Actor(s): William Powell - Irene Dunne - Elizabeth Taylor Director(s): Michael Curtiz DVD Release Date: Released the 21 January 2003 Special Order
List Price: $7.99 Your Price: $7.99YOU SAVE $0!
Buy it
PENNY SERENADE is the story about a young woman who falls in love with a newspaper reporter. They get married. Move to Japan. Survive an Earthquake. Loose a child. Adopt another. Tragedy besets them, but in the end they are able to overcome it. The movie is mostly told through musical flashbacks thanks to rotating RPMs and is one of the first films to ever have used the soundtrack as an intrical part of the film. The movie is a notch above most other melodramatic tearjerkers and there's one big reason for that: Cary Grant.
Cary Grant is the man. What more does one need to say? Sure Irene Dunn does a good job in this melodramatic tale about a husband and wife who live through an earthquake in Japan, the loss of an unborn child, and the adoption of another. Of course, the actor who plays... More Info About This DVD Actor(s): Irene Dunne - Cary Grant Director(s): George Stevens DVD Release Date: Released the 01 January 2003 THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.
List Price: $4.95 Your Price: $4.95YOU SAVE $0!
Buy it
