At the age of 91, Mel Brooks is unstoppable, with his musical "Young Frankenstein" opening to great critical acclaim in London in late 2017. Alan Yentob visits Mel at home in Hollywood, at work and at play.
Featuring Neil Peart, Chad Smith, Tommy Igoe, John Blackwell, Terry Bozzio with Efrain Toro, Nick Rich, Peter Erskine, Will Lee, and Jeff Berlin. These artists pay tribute to Buddy Rich, one of the greatest drummers of all time. With an all-star big band, they play not only Buddy classics but also their own hits. Over two hours of concert footage, plus almost two hours of rehearsal and backstage footage memorialize this historic drumming event. Special Features: Interview with Cathy Rich, rehearsal footage, pre-show and backstage. DVD produced by Neil Peart and Don Lombardi
Improvisational jazz performance filmed in 1950 by Gjon Mili plus Duke Ellington Trio filmed in July 1966, Count Basie at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1977, Joe Pass 1979, Ella Fitzgerald 1979, and Oscar Peterson at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1977.
This outstanding concert DVD was originally recorded in 1985. The master tapes were thought to have been lost in a fire, but were discovered in 2000, along with the original "surround sound" master. Special DVD features include 4.0 Channel Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround tracks, solos of selected performers, track selection menu, additional commentary by Marie & Cathy Rich, Dave Weckl and Gary Reber. Also included are interview segments, behind-the-scenes footage of Buddy and rare photos from the Rich family archives.
Narrated by Mel Torme, this retrospective showcasing jazz icon Buddy Rich is packed with rare performance footage, interviews and behind-the-scenes clips. The collection features the legendary musician in a remarkable drum duel with Gene Krupa and performing with the Artie Shaw, Harry James and Tommy Dorsey bands. Commentary from Rich, his daughter and various friends sheds light on the life and work of this musical genius.
A made-for-TV musical revue, compiled from soundies and film and TV performances by jazz greats from the 1930s to the 1950s.
A soldier falls in love with a newly-married woman after her husband abandons her for a business meeting on their honeymoon.
Frank Morgan is hired to put together a movie using odds and ends from the MGM vaults. He does so by splicing together a string of completely unrelated short subjects and musical numbers, interspersed with a repeated loop of a scene from some melodrama. (Contains in their entirety the shorts, "Musical Masterpieces," "Our Old Car," and "Badminton," as well as clips from other projects)
Hat check man Louis Blore is in love with nightclub star May Daly. May, however, is in love with a poor dancer but wants to marry for money. When Louis wins the Irish Sweepstakes, he asks May to marry him and she accepts even though she doesn't love him. Soon after, Louis has an accident and gets knocked on the head, where he dreams that he's King Louis XV pursuing the infamous Madame Du Barry.
Miss Winters is a dancer with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and is asked to secretly transport a prototype magnetic mine to Puerto Rico. She thinks that she is working for the US Government, but fails to see why she would be involved.
After discovering his star dancer is expecting and can't perform, film producer H.W. Workman and his publicist concoct a scheme to stage a college dance contest to find a new star.
This film is less a typical musical short and more like an educational film. It consists of a narrator describing the music, composition and style of a big band.