Danny Thomas Movies

The ultra-sentimental I'll See You in My Dreams is based on the life and work of composer Gus Kahn. The story is told from the point of view of Kahn' wife Grace, who was still alive when the film was made (Kahn died some ten years earlier). Danny Thomas stars as the prolific tunesmith, whose fortunes take an upswing in 1908 when he meets and falls in love with Grace LeBoy (Doris Day, who receives top billing, not to mention most of the best musical numbers). Kahn's career ascends to spectacular heights via such hits as "Pretty Baby", "My Buddy", "Toot Toot Tootsie" and "Making Whoopee", only to go into eclipse when he loses his savings in the 1929 stock-market crash. Convinced that he's lost his touch and that he's sacrificed true happiness to the evil goddess success, Kahn is ultimately gratified by the love and recognition of his peers. Among the famous personages imitated in I'll See You In My Dreams are Kahn's writing partner Walter Donaldson (Frank Lovejoy) and producers Sam Harris (Jim Backus) and Flo Ziegfeld (William Forrest). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Taken from the television variety show of the same name, this collection features a number of episodes from the program. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

This second screen adaptation of the Samson Rafaelson play The Jazz Singer is better than the first, though not as historically important (the early Jazz Singer, it will be recalled, sparked the "talkie revolution" way back in 1927). Danny Thomas assumes the old Al Jolson role as the cantor's son-turned-cabaret entertainer. As Jerry Golding (Thomas) scales the heights of show business, he breaks the heart of his father (Eduard Franz), who'd hoped that Jerry would follow in his footsteps. Sorrowfully, Cantor Golding reads the Kaddish service, indicating that, so far as he is concerned, his son is dead. A tearful reconciliation (and a more upbeat denouement than was found in the original film) occurs when Jerry dutifully returns to sing the "Kol Nidre" in his ailing father's absence. Peggy Lee co-stars as Judy Lane, a musical comedy entertainer who falls in love with Jerry, while Mildred Dunnock and Alex Gerry do what they can with the stereotyped roles of Jerry's mother and uncle, respectively. This 1952 Jazz Singer has its faults, but it is vastly superior to the empty-headed 1980 Neil Diamond/Laurence Olivier remake. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The famous Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour "Road" movies are spoofed in this star-studded musical comedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

It is now part of TV folklore that the classic sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show was originally conceived as a starring vehicle for the series' creator, Carl Reiner. In the pilot episode "Head of the Family," filmed in New York in 1959, Reiner played TV comedy writer Rob Petrie (then pronounced "pea-tree"), who divided his time between his job as a head writer on "The Alan Sturdy Show" with co-workers Buddy Sorrell (Morty Gunty) and Sally Rogers (Sylvia Miles) and his home life in New Rochelle with his wife, Laura (Barbara Britton) and son, Ritchie (Gary Morgan). Potential sponsors and networks liked the premise but not the cast...or to be more blunt, no one wanted to buy a series with Carl Reiner as star. Swallowing his pride, Reiner limited himself to the jobs of producer, director, and writer. He retooled "Head of the Family," and recast the property with Dick Van Dyke as Rob, Mary Tyler Moore as Laura, Larry Mathews as Ritchie, Morey Amsterdam as Buddy, and Rose Marie as Sally; the rest, as they say, is history.

Debuting October 3, 1961, on CBS, The Dick Van Dyke Show, as mentioned, top-billed the titular star as Rob Petrie, who was now head writer for "The Alan Brady Show" During the series' first few seasons, Alan Brady (a brash, dictatorial character reportedly inspired by Reiner's former boss and colleague Sid Caesar) was seldom seen -- and when he was, it was only from the back. It was an open secret that Carl Reiner himself played Brady, though he did not take screen billing. Only in the series' fourth season was Brady's face actually seen, and only then was Reiner credited on-screen as the actor playing the part. Other recurring characters included Richard Deacon as Alan Brady's producer (and beleaguered brother-in-law) Mel Cooley, Jerry Paris and Ann Morgan Guilbert as the Petries' next-door neighbors Jerry and Millie Helper (he was a dentist, she was Laura's best friend), future director Bill Idelson as Sally Rogers' erstwhile boyfriend, Herman Glimpshire, and Joan Shawlee as Buddy's ex-showgirl wife, Pickles.

Although the series was distinguished by the high level of wit in its writing and its wonderful physical-comedy set pieces, the strong suit of The Dick Van Dyke Show was the warm rapport among its principal players. Indeed, only a handful of TV sitcoms have been so perfectly cast, making one wonder how the series would have fared with its original cast members. Incredible though it may seem today, The Dick Van Dyke Show was not an instantaneous hit. Indeed, the series fared so poorly opposite its first season competition, Bachelor Father and Laramie, that CBS canceled the show outright, sending out notices to the cast members on the last day of shooting. The series might have been just another one season wonder had not one of its sponsors picked it up for a second season, insisting that CBS find a better time slot than Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. Thus, the show was moved to Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. -- fortuitously right after CBS's biggest success of the 1962-1963 season, The Beverly Hillbillies.

Although The Dick Van Dyke Show's somewhat higher ratings still did not set the world on fire, the series received a great deal of word-of-mouth buzz during its second season, and its audience grew steadily throughout the remainder of its run. The fact that the series picked up several Emmy Awards along the way was the icing on the cake. After five seasons, star Dick Van Dyke and producer Carl Reiner opted to quit while they were ahead -- a rare move in the mid-'60s (and even rarer four decades later). Thus, The Dick Van Dyke Show concluded its nighttime run on September 7, 1966, though reruns continued to air on CBS's daytime schedule until 1969. Thereafter, the series entered off-network syndication, where its has continued to flourish mightily well into the 21st century. And in 2003, the surviving cast members were reunited for a two-hour special, The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Popular singer Connie Francis stars in this romantic musical-comedy as Libby Caruso, an aspiring young entertainer who yearns for the attention of handsom Paul Davis (Jim Hutton). Though at first Paul is not interested in her, Libby soon wins him over. Upon catching him, however, Libby changes her mind and decides a young grocer (Joby Baker) is a better prospect. Libby's roomate and pal, Jan (Susan Oliver), doesn't seem to mind leftovers when Paul takes an interest in her. Along with much of the supporting cast from Francis' first screen role, Where the Boys Are (1960), a few celebrities also appear onscreen. Included are cameos from Johnny Carson, Danny Thomas, Paula Prentiss, George Hamilton and Yvette Mimeiux. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Unfortunately, the comedy in this film is just about as crummy as its title. On the bright side, it does feature a number of veterans from popular TV sitcoms. It is set in a run-down diner where a bumbling short-order cook and a klutzy waitress work. They are so terrible at their jobs that they soon lose them. Next the two go to help a pal run her recently inherited bookstore. There they found trouble when a Russian spy mistakenly identifies the former cook as a defecting cosmonaut. Meanwhile, two would-be bank robbers are secretly sneaking 'round the bookstore trying to tunnel into the bank vault next door. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Cricket on the Hearth is based on one of Charles Dickens' lesser-known Christmas stories. Bertha, the toymaker's daughter, is the central character. She searches for love and understanding from her father Caleb, who just wants his family to be happy. With the appearance of a good luck cricket, fortunes seem to change. This release features the voices of real-life father and daughter Danny and Marlo Thomas and Roddy McDowell as the Cricket. As all ends well, The Cricket on the Hearth closes with a catchy tune, "The First Christmas." The animated seasonal program was a predecessor to better known fare. It now serves as godfather to Christmas tales told since. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

In his TV-movie debut, Sammy Davis Jr. plays a wisecracking private eye drawn into a web of murder and duplicity. Davis is suddenly attacked from all sides by crooks and cops alike, who seem to believe he's got something they want. Eventually he figures he's been set up as the fall guy for a mysterious crime, and that somehow this is tied in with a missing diary which contains information that could prove fatal to his ex-girlfriend. The plotline of The Pigeon substitutes confusion for cleverness, resulting in a second-rate "B" melodrama. But Sammy Davis Jr. is always worth watching, especially as he tosses off clever bits of banter which seem to be ad-libbed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV movie stars Lee Majors as Andy Crocker, a disillusioned Vietnam veteran. His homecoming is hardly a hero's welcome: Andy finds that his girl friend is married, his business is in the toilet, and his friends and neighbors are reluctant to acknowledge his existence. Originally telecast November 18, 1969, this film was one of the first to tackle the issue of disenfranchised Nam soldiers who came trudging home to indifference and hostility. Wisely, it avoids the fistfights and gore that would attend the later unfortunate spate of "crazed Vietnam vet" pictures. Though it would seem to be self-contained, The Ballad of Andy Crocker was intended as the pilot for a weekly TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Monk stars George Maharis as neither simian nor seminarian. Instead, he plays Gustavus "Gus" Monk, a San Francisco private eye/bodyguard created by Blake Edwards. The Monk is hired by an underworld lawyer (William Smithers) to deliver an envelope containing damning information about a powerful gangster. Monk isn't interested until he meets the lawyer's sexy wife (Janet Leigh)--and then he's off on a corpse-laden path of deceit and double-cross, with the man who hired him as Victim Number One. The Monk has a large cast of familiar faces (from Jack Albertson to Joe Besser) in its favor; unfortunately, this wasn't enough to secure a series sale for this one-shot TV pilot film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide