Steve Allen Movies
The son of American vaudeville entertainers, bespectacled American comedian Steve Allen led a peripatetic childhood, shunted off from one relative or boarding school to another. As a balm to his loneliness, Allen became a voracious reader, providing himself with a wide and varied intellectual base. Breaking into showbiz as a radio disc jockey, Allen soon learned that inserting humor here and there would draw a lot more attention than merely announcing the records and reading the stockyard reports. In order to supply himself with an endless stream of material, Allen memorized every joke book and "college humor" magazine that he could get his hands on; the result was his uncanny ability to conjure up precisely the right wisecrack at the right time. Developing a strong following while hosting a radio program on Los Angeles' KNX in 1948, Allen received his first network exposure in 1949, and was also featured in several films, including Down Memory Lane (1949) and I'll Get By (1950). In 1953, Allen was hired to host a local late-night program on New York's WNBC-TV, which later developed into the NBC network's Tonight Show. Extraordinarily busy during the years 1956 and 1957, Allen hosted Tonight, headlined his own hour-long weekend variety TV series, starred as the title character in The Benny Goodman Story (1956), composed several popular songs (his piano skills were shown to excellent advantage on his TV programs), and filled up his spare time by writing books, plays, and magazine articles. He left Tonight in 1957 and closed out his NBC weekender in 1960. One year later, he was back with a Wednesday-night hour on ABC, which had the misfortune of being scheduled opposite Wagon Train. In 1962, Allen launched a syndicated 90-minute "madness and music" nightly series, a fondly remembered effort which lasted until 1964; a second syndicated nightly followed in 1968.During his heyday, Allen helped develop and nurture such talents as Tom Poston, Louis Nye, Don Knotts, Bill Dana, Gabe Dell, Tim Conway, Steve Lawrence, and Eydie Gorme. He kept busy in television throughout the 1970s and 1980s with such highly praised projects as PBS' Meeting of Minds, wherein Allen would host round-table discussions with actors posing as the great leaders and intellects of history. Long married to actress Jayne Meadows, Steve Allen showed no signs of slowing down in his early seventies (despite a well-publicized bout with cancer), as he continued to write books on a multitude of subjects, accept TV and movie guest-star appearances, make SRO personal appearances, and even occasionally return to his roots by hosting TV and radio talkfests. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Steve Allen's skills as a pianist were quite impressive, though most fans remember him as a comedian, author, and the original host of The Tonight Show. On this video, Allen's in-depth knowledge of jazz piano is revealed. Viewers are shown many of the ways a talented pianist adds flair to his or her jazz syle with such devices as trills, octave vibrato, "fake runs," and blues riffs. There's even time devoted to teaching students how to build arrangements and add fancy touches to jazz pieces. Other skills taught include ways to play the basic blues, boogie woogie, stride, walking basses, the use of 10ths, and descending bass lines. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Armed with the latest in high-tech gadgetry, a spy attempts to bring in a mad Nazi war-criminal determined to conquer the world by brainwashing powerful leaders. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Terry Moore, Jan Murray, (more)
- 1984
Taped at the Troubadour nightclub in Hollywood, California, this video features Bill Cosby, Steve Allen and others in tribute to late comic Lenny Bruce. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
This 1982 made-for-TV version of the Lewis Carroll classic Alice in Wonderland features an all-star cast. Such celebrities as Donald O'Connor, Maureen Stapleton and Eve Arden struggle to perform while buried under mounds of makeup and tons of eccentric costuming as Carroll's alternate-world loonies. Alice in Wonderland was first telecast Oct 3, 1983, on PBS' Great Performances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
These are the funniest pieces taken from one of the all-time funny TV men, Steve Allen. These takes from his hit The Steve Allen Show series, are priceless. Featured with Allen in these takes are such notables as Johnny Carson, Sammy Davis Jr., Don Knotts, Jerry Lewis and Zsa Zsa Gabor. ~ All Movie Guide
The 1987 portmanteau comedy feature Amazon Women on the Moon lampoons several film genres in general and the 1954 sci-fi cheapie Cat Women of the Moon in particular. Other sketches in Amazon Women include an opening bit with Arsenio Hall; a vignette titled "Son of the Invisible Man" wherein a naked Ed Begley Jr. runs around in full view of the nonplussed supporting cast; the It's Alive parody "Hospital", which offers the spectacle of Michelle Pfeiffer giving birth to Mr. Potato Head; and a Siskel & Ebert takeoff, featuring Arche Hahn as a TV viewer whose entire life is given a "thumbs down." Directed by several hands, including Joe Dante, Carl Gottleib, Peter Horton, John Landis, and Robert K. Weiss, Amazon Women on the Moon also features a satire of the Kroger G. Babb school of "sex hygiene" exploitation cheapies, with syphilis victim Carrie Fisher being counseled by unctuous doctor Paul Bartel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosanna Arquette, Ralph Bellamy, (more)
- 1986
This documentary video looks at the history of Betty Boop, and looks at the run-ins she had with film censors. Originally in black and white, these cartoons have been tinted. ~ All Movie Guide
The inner-workings of a corrupt Las Vegas casino are exposed in Martin Scorsese's story of crime and punishment. The film chronicles the lives and times of three characters: "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a bookmaking wizard; Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), a Mafia underboss and longtime best friend to Ace; and Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone, in a role she was born to play), a leggy ex-prostitute with a fondness for jewelry and a penchant for playing the field. Ace plays by the rules (albeit Vegas rules, which, as he reminds the audience in voiceover, would make him a criminal in any other state), while Nicky and Ginger lie, cheat, and steal their respective ways to the top. The film's first hour and a half details their rise to power, while the second half follows their downfall as the FBI, corrupt government officials, and angry mob bosses pick apart their Camelot piece by piece. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, (more)
- 1990
A documentary video that looks at the many hilarious comedians in history. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1960
An expose on campus sex provides the basis of this bizarre film made in 1960. A college professor is taking the survey which focuses upon the sexual habits of the students. Unfortunately, some people object and bring him up on charges of indecency. The film climaxes with his trial. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows, (more)
- 1966
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
- Starring:
- Morey Amsterdam, Richard Deacon, (more)
- 1949
Down Memory Lane is a pastiche film comprised of old comedy footage from the Mack Sennett studios. The vintage clips are tied together by a thin continuity wherein TV host Steve Allen hopes to boost his ratings by screening excerpts from Sennett's silent and talkie two-reel comedies. Among the films represented are The Singing Boxer with Donald Novis, Blue of the Night with Bing Crosby, and The Dentist with W.C. Fields. Mack Sennett himself shows up at the end for an explosive punch line to this chaotic collection of comedy clips. Down Memory Lane is a mess, but a funny mess; auteur theorists are advised not to search for a thematic connection between this film and director Phil Karlson's later "cult" classics. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Allen, Bing Crosby, (more)
Elvis on Television is a collection of filmclips dating back to "The King's" first video appearances in 1956. We see Elvis making his small-screen debut on January 28, 1956, as a guest on the Dorsey Brothers' Stage Show. We watch Presley trade quips with a gloriously clueless Milton Berle. We observe Elvis gamely participating in a comedy sketch with Steve Allen and Imogene Coca. And, of course, we are treated to highlights of Elvis' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, including the infamous "from the waist up" performance. Since the film vignettes highlighted in Elvis on Television are taken from kinescopes (films made directly off the TV screen), pictorial quality varies dramatically. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
Produced for public television, Ernie Kovacs: Television's Original Genius has in the past 15 years become a mainstay of local PBS fund drives. Utilizing deftly chosen vignettes from Kovacs' best TV work, the film is at once a biography and a paean to this unique talent. The story of Kovacs' troubled private life--including a bitter child-custody battle with his first wife--is juxtaposed with the inspired lunacy of his comic vision. We see snippets from Kovacs' early-morning network programs of the 1950s, highlights of his late-1950s quiz show You're in the Picture, and his brilliantly irreverent commercials for his longtime sponsor, Dutch Masters Cigars. Best of all, we're treated to videotaped vignettes of Kovacs' ABC network specials of 1961 and 1962 (the year of his sudden and tragic death), including his classical-music takeoffs, bizarre blackout gags, and experimental special effects and camerawork. Highlights include generous clips from his all-pantomime 1961 special Eugene, and a rare dramatic moment wherein Kovacs delivers a speech by Euripides. Woven throughout Ernie Kovacs: Television's Original Genius are interviews with Ernie's friends and intimates, including his widow Edie Adams and his best pal Jack Lemmon. Warm up your VCR the next time this one's on your local PBS outlet: this one's a keeper. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
An antacid pill, provided by Gwen Snoop, causes a basketball star to become ill prior to appearing on a television talk show. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1959
This volume features a different selection of game shows from the '50s and '60s, including "People Are Funny," "Concentration," and "I've Got a Secret." This video also features some of the original commercials. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
This PBS documentary features jazz legend Gene Krupa playing on the drums with many of the great names in music. Archival film clips capture Krupa at his best accompanying other jazz greats such as Lionel Hampton, Roy Eldridge, and Benny Goodman. Interviews with family, friends, and colleagues give the viewer insight into the man behind the drums. The program culminates with the historic battle of the drums between Krupa and fellow musician Buddy Rich. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
Martin Scorsese explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi's best-selling Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a true-to-period rock soundtrack, the story details the rise and fall of Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian New York kid who grows up idolizing the "wise guys" in his impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood. He begins hanging around the mobsters, running errands and doing odd jobs until he gains the notice of local chieftain Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino), who takes him in as a surrogate son. As he reaches his teens, Hill (Ray Liotta) is inducted into the world of petty crime, where he distinguishes himself as a "stand-up guy" by choosing jail time over ratting on his accomplices. From that moment on, he is a part of the family. Along with his psychotic partner Tommy (Joe Pesci), he rises through the ranks to become Paulie's lieutenant; however, he quickly learns that, like his mentor Jimmy (Robert DeNiro), his ethnicity prevents him from ever becoming a "made guy," an actual member of the crime family. Soon he finds himself the target of both the feds and the mobsters, who feel that he has become a threat to their security with his reckless dealings. Goodfellas was rewarded with six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture; Pesci would walk away with Best Supporting Actor for his work. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, (more)
Until its last 10 minutes or so, this filmed biography of controversial recording star Jerry Lee Lewis plays like a live-action cartoon. As played by Dennis Quaid, "the killer" is a very mixed-up individual: a saintly sinner, a world-wise naif, a skilled performer with zero sense of discipline, a loving husband who uses his wife for a punching bag. The story takes place during the years 1956 through 1958, as Lewis rises to the top of the charts with such hits as "Crazy Arms," "A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," and the title tune. Along the way, he falls in love with his second cousin Myra (Winona Ryder), eventually marrying the girl. When it is revealed that Myra is only 13 years old, Lewis is condemned as a molester and pervert by the public (his disastrous tour of England during this crisis is depicted in hilarious Tex Avery fashion). After establishing a brisk, satirical tone through most of the proceedings, the film plummets into heavy dramatics in its final portions, jarring disastrously with all that has gone before. Otherwise, Quaid is terrific as Lewis (expertly lip-synching to the original records,) and Ryder is equally good as the long-suffering Myra. Featured in the cast are Alec Baldwin as Jerry's cousin Jimmy Swaggart (the same!), Michael St. Gerard as Lewis' great rival Elvis, and Steve Allen as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, (more)
- 1980
- R
John Byrum wrote and directed this loosely based biographical tale of Beat author Jack Kerouac and Neal and Carolyn Cassady. John Heard stars as Jack Kerouac, and the film chronicles the Beat lifestyle that shaped the literary and social forces brewing and overflowing in Kerouac's imagination, resulting in the publication of Kerouac's seminal novel On the Road. Nick Nolte and Sissy Spacek play the Cassadys, enmeshed in a love-hate relationship that forms the backbone of the film. Kerouac drifts in and out of their lives as the Cassadys take up residence in San Francisco. Ray Sharkey is also on hand as the manic Ira, a thinly veiled character based on Alan Ginsberg. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, (more)
- 1978
Narrated by Milton Berle, Hey Abbott! is a compilation of highlights from Abbott & Costello's numerous television programs. Includes routines like "Who's on First," "The Birthday Party," "Floogle Street" and "Oyster Stew." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Honored at a testimonial by her fellow medical examiners, Julianna Cox (Laura Ballard) relates the curious tale of Mr. and Mrs. Cochran (Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows), who, during one of their violent arguments, may very well have spared their son the trouble of committing suicide -- by killing him themselves. Back at the homicide unit, Georgia Rae Mahoney (Hazelle Goodman), sister of the late, unlamented drug kingpin Luther Mahoney, slaps a 60-million-dollar wrongful-death lawsuit against the detectives who were present when Luther was killed. And outside their usual jurisdiction, Ballard (Callie Thorne) and Gharty (Peter Gerety) pursue a pair of murderers into the backwoods of Western Maryland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
