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33 of 33 found the following review helpful:
 Don't pass this up!Nov 23, 2002
By Richard A Schauer
"Jack Shadow"
Anyone who enjoys old films should be tickled pink to find these bits trimmed from the final cut of 1930-1940 films are still in existence. 20th Century Fox, as most studios, threw gold into the garbage. But these survived somehow. Shirley Temple - that little bundle of talent - does a number with the great Jimmy Durante. It was cut because the studio decided Shirley doing a Durante impersonation did not fit her image. There is a lot of good stuff on this disc, cut for time because it is easy to cut a musical number or, as in Shirleys case, it does not fit the stars image. I thoroughly enjoyed this chance to see these scenes. I have to mention the Bert Lahr number: you have to see it to believe it. There is far too little of Bert Lahr on film and this is a chance to see him as a young Broadway style performer even if you can't figure out just what it is he is doing. If you like old movies or musicals this disc is for you.
31 of 32 found the following review helpful:
...even more fun than the first Hidden Hollywood....Apr 05, 2002
...some real gems...a thirteen minute sequence with W.C.Fields
and Margaret Dumont (she remains totally unflappable in the face
of Mr Field's shenanigans!)....Sonja Heine...who won medals in
THREE winter Olympics, starting when she was probably twelve..
and may well be the single most influential female skater of
the 20th century (the ice fairies in 'Fantasia' skate exactly
like Sonja!)--has some delightful unused sequences here..and
of course, our old friends Betty Grable and Alice Faye..and
Carmen Miranda, complete with an extension cord...this dvd packs
quite a bit of 'lost' entertainment into 90 minutes. If you
are a 'movie nut' you will love this...if you are not...go rent
Terminator II, please.
19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
Pieces of the jigsawFeb 22, 2006
By Douglas M
Darryl Zanuck, head of production at Fox, was famous for his editing skills. This DVD contains outtakes from many famous Fox films, trimmed sometimes for censorship or even political reasons or maybe simply to reduce the running time.
If you know the films, you can mentally piece the outtakes into the originals. Some of the numbers are pretty awful such as Bert Lahr's incomprehensible song. Others are memorable like Jimmy Durante's number with Shirley Temple and Alice Faye's "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows". It is also amusing to see the performers grimace and pout as the camera starts to roll. The DVD is a gold mine to the film buff and since the material has been taken from original negatives and restored, it is in great condition.
The DVD is partly documentary as narrated by Joan Collins. Whatever you might think of Collins as a performer, she has a beautiful English accent with perfect diction. Her delivery is music to the ears and the script is informative but succinct.
18 of 19 found the following review helpful:
...Some treasures are more valuable than others....Mar 10, 2002
..but these treasures are quite delightful. AMC broadcast them
a few years back, and I am glad they are available on dvd. It is
fun (well, it is for dyed in the wool movie freaks such as myself)..to see things that feature favorite performers that
have not ever seen a movie screen. This has Alice Faye, Shirley
Temple, Betty Grable...and OTHERS...doing alternate takes,
sometimes completely cut numbers...a variety of things...all
give one a fresh view of how movies were made and a look at
some material that just never got used. These are very entertaining. One or two, of course, are good examples of why
they were never seen. But, in many cases, restoration has been
done and some interesting performances brought to light. I have
my copy...but dear friends at Fox...there is a seven minute
ballet missing from Betty Grable's "The Farmer Takes a Wife"...
perhaps you could show us that on the NEXT installment???
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Fascinating Busby Berkeley outtakeJun 18, 2004
By Steve Burstein
For years I have been more than familier with the 1943 Fox musical THE GANG'S ALL HERE directed by Busby Berkeley. But it was fascinating to see an outtake of a comedy sequence intended for late in the film, with Phil Baker doing a takeoff of his popular radio quiz show "Take it Or Leave it". Charlotte Greenwood slides down a bannister and lands behind a giant picture frame in an imitation of Whistler's Mother, in a bit of physical comedy almost broader than anything left in the final cut of the film, except-Charlotte Greenwood, doing her usual high kicking bit.
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