Some Universal Appeal in These Releases

Over the past few years, Universal Home Video has been a godsend to movie buffs, releasing countless vintage films that were gathering dust in the vaults.

However, Universal’s latest batch of oldies ($15 each) to hit the market--three literary adaptations and four comedies--are a decidedly mixed bag.

The standout among the dramas is 1948’s “All My Sons,” which was adapted by Chester Erskine from Arthur Miller’s landmark Broadway play. Gripping and well-acted, “All My Sons” stars a rock-solid Edward G. Robinson as a self-made owner of a factory who sold defective airplane parts to the Army during World War II in a rush to meet an order deadline.

After the defective parts caused a fatal air crash, he frames his partner for the deed. Burt Lancaster shines as Robinson’s earnest son who discovers his father’s deception. Howard Duff, Louisa Horton, Mady Christians and Arlene Francis also star. Irving Reis directed.

Also worth checking out is 1940’s “The House of the Seven Gables,” based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic. George Sanders, Vincent Price and Margaret Lindsay star in this moody tale of a cursed, bankrupt 19th century family whose members squabble over their ancestral mansion. Sanders is perfectly cast as the oily, conniving family member who sends one of his relatives (Price) to jail on a trumped-up murder charge.

However, 1934’s “Great Expectations” pales in comparison to the 1946 David Lean classic. Listless and poorly done, this version comes across in tone and texture more as a Universal horror film than an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel. The movie certainly isn’t helped by Phillips Holmes’ anemic, wimpy portrayal of Pip. The best performance comes from Henry Hull who devours the scenery whole as the convict Magwitch. Jane Wyatt also stars.

The definite must-have among the four comedies making their video bow is 1942’s “The Major and the Minor,” which marked Billy Wilder’s American directing debut. Ginger Rogers is a hoot in this funny farce about a working woman who poses as a 12-year-old girl named Sue Sue in order to save train fare and ends up in the care of a handsome major (Ray Milland) of a military academy. Complications ensue when Rogers, still disguised as Sue Sue, falls in love with Milland, who just happens to be engaged. Robert Benchley also stars. Tons of fun.

“You Gotta Stay Happy,” from 1948, has a few laughs, but it’s pretty pedestrian fare despite the talents of the always wonderful Jimmy Stewart. In this outing, Stewart plays a pilot and owner of a struggling cargo company. Quite by accident, he becomes involved with a spoiled heiress (a forced Joan Fontaine) on the lam from the nerdy guy her family picked for her to marry. Eddie Albert gives a breezy performance as Stewart’s partner.

The 1968 comedy adventure “The Pink Jungle” is a pleasant time-killer, though you’ll probably forget the plot 10 minutes after it’s over. Shot mainly on the Universal back lot--you keep expecting to see the Glamor Tram cruise through the scenes--”Pink Jungle” stars James Garner as a fashion photographer mistaken for a CIA spy when he goes to the South American jungle to shoot a cosmetic ad with a model (Eva Renzi). George Kennedy is on hand as a con man out to find a diamond mine who helps Garner and Renzi escape from assassins.

Tony Randall usually makes the weakest comedy worth watching, but even his skills can’t squeeze a laugh out of the 1964 turkey “The Brass Bottle,” a witless farce about an architect who buys an antique bottle, only to discover it is the home of a jovial genie (Burl Ives). Barbara Eden, who later that year began her genie series “I Dream of Jeannie,” plays Randall’s girlfriend.