Comments about Hollywood Party:

Charles Butterworth's hilarious one-liners...Lupe Velez in a dress that's always on the verge of a wardrobe malfunction...Laurel and Hardy doing their classic egg-for-egg routine with Velez...Jimmy Durante as Schnarzan...Mickey Mouse fighting with Durante...a very early 3-strip Technicolor Silly Symphony...all great moments in this grab bag of comedy and music. Yes, this pastry certainly had many cooks, giving the end result the surrealistic quality of a dream...

But wait a minute...

That might explain why Mickey Mouse disappears and only his gloves remain...or why the bartender has put out a bowl of uncooked eggs for Laurel and Hardy's use...or why the Oklahoma oil baron has no trace of a drawl...or how Velez slipped a very Anglo-Saxon epithet past the censors...is it all surrealism? The answer comes at the end of the movie.

The image and sound quality on this release are a big step up from the previous laserdisc release, and the bonus audio clips are a fun listen. There are also 31 chapter markers to take you to your favorite scenes. All in all, a tidy little package.

Comments about Hollywood Party:

A complete mish-mash. This is a Jimmy Durante movie but you'd never know it from the art work. And Durante, like Lahr, needs writers who understand their brand of comedy. In this case, there is some good Durante material but it is diluted and ineffective due to all the diverse cameo appearances of other comics who distract rather than support Durante.

The very best reason for buying this release is for the added *unreleased* soundtrack material. Alternate takes of songs and background music, some of which went on to fame and fortune. For example, there is a great waltz that Richard Rodgers composed which, when pulled from the film was reinvented for Rodgers and Hart's upcoming show "Jumbo" called "Over and Over Again." And by sheer coincidence, that song was used in the 1962 M-G-M film version of "Jumbo," one of the stars of *that* film being non-other than Jimmy Durante.

Comments about Hollywood Party:

Laurel & Hardy VS Lupe Velez?? oy!

Comments about Hollywood Party:

At about the 44 minute mark when it shifts from B&W to Technicolor, it's obvious that some of the film elements are missing. Mickey Mouse is getting ready to play the piano but in color the piano disappears and all you see if Mickey's disembodied hand and the sheet music. The rest of the cartoon sequence is okay though.

Comments about Hollywood Party:

This was to be The Hollywood Revue of 1933 with a cast of top MGM stars and a score by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart. They wrote twenty songs. All were dropped except for the title song and big stars like Jean Harlow are nowhere in sight. Mickey Mouse was huge and he comes to the party and introduces the Disney`s Hot Chocolate Soldiers. Polly Moran knocked me out with the wonderful I`ve Had My Moments. There are quite a few good numbers in the movie, but the best thing about this disc are the many audio bonus tracks. You`ll find three songs by Rodgers & Hart, Fly Away To Ioway (Moran & Durante), Baby Stars (Chorus) and the instrumental Party Waltz, which was later heard in Jumbo as Over and Over Again. Twelve of the R & H songs were recorded on LP a few years ago. Try and find it.

Comments about Hollywood Party:

This wacky, "Pre Code" MGM comedy has always been a favorite of mine. While this release is labeled "Remastered", I really didn't notice much difference from the older, MGM Home Video vhs release. Both had the restored, color Disney cartoon "Hot Chocolate Soldiers". Great to finally have on DVD!!!

Comments about Hollywood Party:

Disc & packaging are fine. Grabbed this because of Jimmy Durante, Laurel & Hardy, & Ted Healy & His Stooges (later to become the Three Stooges) participating. Problem is, except for Durante, they don't get enough screen time. Durante's stuff is lukewarm in this. Laurel & Hardy show up for one good, extended sequence in which they do battle with Lupe Velez with a bowl of eggs. The Stooges pop up only briefly in one scene... a big letdown. The rest is forgettable.

Comments about Hollywood Party:

A great product. This DVD completes my Laurel and Hardy Collection.

Comments about Hollywood Party:

A look back at Durante in his prime. Forget the critic's dissections of the movie, it's utter nonsense and greatly enjoyable because of that. Besides the Schnozzola's singing, dancing, and lion wrestling, you get a Laurel and Hardy t*t-for-tat routine, Mickey Mouse and a gorgeous Disney Technicolor cartoon, and one of the last glimpses of Ted Healy with the Stooges.

Comments about Hollywood Party:

This is the movie that took 8 directors to complete and none would take screen credit. There's really no story but it's great to see this movie finally restored to include the missing Mickey Mouse and Technicolor sequences. Also great to see the Three Stooges in their early days and Laurel and Hardy too.