Reminiscing to sound of musicals

Movie musicals are difficult to do successfully; just look at “From Justin to Kelly.” Among the latest crop of oldies making their DVD debuts are some good, bad and downright ugly vintage musicals.

In addition to the song-and-dance discs, the latest crop of releases includes comedies, thrillers, dramas and even an offbeat German silent film that gave the world its first look at German director Leni Riefenstahl.

Along with Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth was the biggest pinup girl during World War II. One of her most popular films was the charming 1944 Technicolor musical romance, “Cover Girl” (Columbia TriStar, $25), which teamed the red-headed dancer with the then-up-and-coming Gene Kelly. This splashy musical finds Hayworth working as a dancer in a small club in Brooklyn operated by her boyfriend, a World War II vet (Kelly). But Hayworth’s life changes drastically when she is chosen to be a cover girl for the bridal edition of a fashion magazine. She becomes a star, leaves Kelly’s club and heads for Broadway. But this being a fairy tale, true love wins out, and Hayworth and Kelly end up back in each other’s arms.

The Jerome Kern-Ira Gershwin score includes the Oscar-nominated “Long Ago and Far Away” and the peppy, “Make Way for Tomorrow.” Nan Wynn supplied the singing voice for Hayworth.

The late Bob Fosse was one of the most innovative choreographer-directors of both the Broadway stage and movies, even beating out favored Francis Ford Coppola (“The Godfather”) for the 1972 directing Oscar for his landmark “Cabaret.” Seven years later, he co-wrote and directed the uncompromising semiautobiographical musical-drama, “All That Jazz” (Fox, $15). Roy Scheider received a best actor Oscar nomination for his no-holds-barred performance as a self-absorbed, self-destructive womanizing director-choreographer who refuses to give up his hedonistic ways. Jessica Lange, Ann Reinking, Cliff Gorman, Leland Palmer and Ben Vereen star in this Fellini-esque fantasy, drama and lavish musical that may not always work, but is always worth watching.

The DVD includes an on-set interview with Scheider, fascinating clips of Fosse at work on the opening dance number and disappointing scene specific commentary from Scheider.

Though Bette Midler isn’t a hard-rocking, hot-mama rock singer like Janis Joplin, she still gives an electrifying performance as a Joplin-esque rocker in the 1979 musical drama, “The Rose” (Fox, $15). Mark Rydell, who has guided several actors to either Oscar wins or nominations, gets an Academy Award-nominated turn out of Midler as the hard-working, hard-living singer who is being destroyed by booze, drugs and her ruthless manager (Alan Bates). The DVD includes inspired commentary from Rydell.

Though the ‘70s is considered one of the best decades for American filmmaking, Hollywood unleashed plenty of dogs to the unsuspecting public, like the 1978 turkey, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (Universal, $20), a lavish, misguided musical featuring songs from the 1967 Beatles album and such hot pop stars of the era as the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton. It’s painfully bad, even with the comic relief of George Burns and Steve Martin.

Equally appalling is 1984’s “Hard to Hold” (Universal, $15). Rick Springfield was not only riding the top of the charts with his hit albums like “Working Class Dog,” he was also on “General Hospital” as the heartthrob Dr. Noah Hathaway. So Universal decided to make him a movie star. But this vehicle is for the birds. Springfield plays a popular rock star who falls in love with a prim, proper young woman who works with troubled children. Springfield manages to show his bare behind one too many times. It really should’ve been called “Hard to Watch.”

New from Artisan is a restored collection of classic “Laurel & Hardy” comedies ($20) which are just as funny now as they were more than seven decades ago. The disc includes “Sons of the Desert,” Oscar-winner “The Music Box,” “Another Fine Mess,” “Busy Bodies” and “County Hospital.” Extras include biographical information, a tour of the films’ locations then and now, and photos.

Director Peter Bogdanovich’s audio commentaries are always fun to listen to, whether he is chatting on the disc of a film of one of his late friends like Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane,” or on one of his own films. And his commentaries for his first feature, the 1968 thriller, “Targets” (Paramount, $15), and his popular 1973 comedy “Paper Moon” (Paramount, $15), are filled with juicy anecdotes and spot-on insights into the art of filmmaking. The only downside is that he loves to name-drop about his pals, whether it be Orson (as in Welles) or Howard (as in Hawks) or John (as in Ford) or Sam (as in Fuller). Enough already. Besides commentary, the “Paper Moon” disc also features three interview and clip-laden featurettes.

One of Chevy Chase’s biggest hits was the 1983 comedy “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (Warner, $20), in which he created the ultimate goofball dad, Clark Griswold. The character fit the ex-”Saturday Night Live” star like a glove, so much so that he reprised the role three times. In this Harold Ramis-directed film, the hapless Griswolds drive cross-country to an amusement park called Wally World. Beverly D’Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Eugene Levy, Randy Quaid, Imogene Coca and Christie Brinkley co-star.

The 20th anniversary edition DVD features a new introduction by Chase, Quaid and producer Matty Simmons, and enjoyable commentary from Chase, Quaid, Simmons, Hall and Ramis.

A decade before she became the darling of the Nazis with her 1930s propaganda documentaries “Triumph of the Will” and “Olympia,” director Leni Riefenstahl’s career was launched as an actress in the offbeat 1926 silent film, “The Holy Mountain” (Kino, $30). Directed by Arnold Fanck, “Holy Mountain” is considered the greatest of his “mountain films,” in which he set a drama against the backdrop of the German Alps. The cinematography is breathtaking, but story-wise this “Mountain” is a molehill. Riefenstahl plays a rather beefy but alluring modern dancer who falls in love with a reclusive climber (Louis Trenker).