Margaret Whiting Movies

The world lost the defiantly unpredictable, trend-busting bop vocalist Anita O'Day in November 2006, to dementia and pneumonia. A year or so prior, documentarians Ian McCrudden and Robbie Cavolina (perhaps foreseeing this loss) set out to create the definitive film portrait of the chanteuse, entitled Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer. This biography recounts O'Day's life story by intercutting archival performance footage of the vocalist with fond reminiscences from friends and colleagues and cutaways to O'Day's original reviews and publicity material. Interviewees include Bryant Gumbel, Harry Reasoner, Dick Clark, Annie Ross, and Johnny Mandel. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden stars Gennie James as spoiled-rotten Mary Lennox. When her parents die of cholera, Mary is whisked from her home in India to live in the forbidding Victorian mansion of her flint-hearted uncle (Derek Jacobi). Thanks to the friendship--and vivid imagination--of gardener's son Jadrien Steele, Mary learns that life is lived best when one cares for others. At the same time, her uncle begins to act like a human being. The only false note in this otherwise flawless production was the decision to clumsily frame the story with the narration of the adult Mary Lennox. Blessed with a top-rank British cast, including Michael Hordern, Billie Whitelaw, Lucy Gutteridge and Alison Doody (Harrison Ford's vis-a-vis in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, this 1987 Secret Garden was first telecast as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A cast filled with aged actors gathers together to reminisce and reflect upon their careers, the changing times, and the trials of getting old in this videotaped performance of an off-Broadway musical revue. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The musical Mr. Quilp was based on one of Dickens' grimmest works, The Old Curiosity Shop, which has as its highlight the death of its heroine. The principal character is a villain, a hunchbacked usurer who wishes to take over the business of an antique dealer. Anthony Newley plays the horrid Mr. Quilp, and is also responsible for the music. Mr. Quilp was produced by Readers Digest Magazine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Informers of the title are a loose grouping of underworld types, upon whom Scotland Yard inspector Nigel Patrick depends for crucial information. Patrick gets in trouble with his superiors when he refuses to reveal the identity of his informants. He gets into even more trouble, when, while investigating the murder of one of his snitches, Patrick is framed on a corruption rap by trollop Margaret Whiting. The Informers was based on Death of a Snout, a novel by Douglas Warner. It was also released under the titles Underworld Informers and The Snout. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This jerry-built Allied Artists musical is also known as Showtime, Fresh From Paris. The film's plot is constructed around a single evening's performance at Hollywood's Moulin Rouge (don't expect the level of nudity you'd see in real Parisian show). Forrest Tucker plays a threadbare entrepreneur who wants to open up his own dinner theatre. His "angel" is Lloyd Corrigan, ostensibly an eccentric millionaire but actually merely eccentric. The singing Whiting sisters-Margaret and Barbara--slightly overshadow the film's "official" leading lady Martha Hyer. Most of the onstage acts are surprisingly tame, notably the Sportsmen Quartet. Filmed in a fast five days, Paris Follies of 1956 could not help but make back its cost within a week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As originally syndicated on television in late 1952, Abbott and Costello: The Christmas Show presents approximately one hour of holiday-themed musical and comedy variety material by the titular comedy duo. Guest stars include Gary Cooper, Buster Shaver and Olive, Ingrid Bergman, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and many others. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide