Broadway on the Big Screen 6-Film Collection (1954-1971, Warner Archive Collection, 6 Blu-rays, 2 G, 4 NR, 750 min.). Due Feb. 17 is this fun-filled collection of six films based on Broadway stage musicals. Frank Loesser's “Guys and Dolls” stars Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, while Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood star in “Gypsy.” The dynamic choreography of Bob Fosse adds zing to Doris Day in “The Pajama Game” and to Gwen Verdon in “Damn Yankees.” Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse shine in Lerner and Loewe's “Brigadoon,” and Ken Russell's wild imagination creates an homage to the genre as Twiggy stars in “The Boy Friend.”

The six films are reviewed separately.

“Guys and Dolls” (1955, NR, 149 min.). The music and lyrics are by Frank Loesser. The book is by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, based on the Damon Runyon short stories, "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure," with characters borrowed from other Runyon stories, including "Pick the Winner." It presents the rare sight of a singing Marlon Brando, as he plays Sky Masterson. Frank Sinatra plays gambler Nathan Detroit and Jean Simmons is Sarah, who leads the Save-a-Soul Mission.

Classic songs include "Fugue for Tinhorns" sung by small-time gamblers Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Stubby Kaye), Benny Southstreet (Johnny Silver) and Rusty Charlie (Dan Dayton), as they argue over which horse will win a race; "The Oldest Established," about where Nathan's crap game will set up; the title song; and "Luck Be a Lady," which became a signature song for Sinatra.

The film was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Cinematography (Harry Stradling Jr.), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Oliver Smith, Joseph C. Wright, Howard Bristol), Best Costume Design (Irene Sharaff) and Best Music, Scoring (Jay Blackton, Cyril J. Mockridge).

The Blu-ray extras, carried over from previous releases, include six musical performances; an overall look at the film and producer Samuel Goldwyn (23:54); a look at taking the musical from stage to screen (26:41); and five brief behind-the-scenes looks (the longest is 2:38). Grade: film 4 stars; extras 3 stars

“Damn Yankees” (1958, NR, 111 min.). “Damn Yankees” is the most successful sports musical film in great part because it brought onboard most of the original Broadway cast, which ran for more than 1,000 performances. Reprising their Broadway roles were Robert Shafer as middle-aged real estate agent Joe Boyd, a frustrated Washington Senators baseball fan, and Shannon Bolin as his long-suffering wife Meg (in “Six Months” she details her plight of neglect), whose relationship is at the heart of the story. The big names who crossed over too were Ray Winston (TV’s “My Favorite Martian”) playing Applegate, the devil who offers Joe the chance to be a 22-year-old baseball star that will help earn Washington the pennant, and Gwen Verdon as Applegate’s dancing temptress Lola. Also over from the Broadway production are Russ Brown as team manager Van Buren, Jean Stapleton (TV’s “All in the Family”) as Sister, and, as the singing and dancing ballplayers, Nathaniel Frey as Smokey, James Komack as Rocky and Albert Linville as Vernon.

However, for the younger Joe, renamed Joe Hardy, the filmmakers turned to Hollywood and handsome Tab Hunter (“The Burning Hills,” “Grease 2”).

The literate songs are composed by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross of “The Pajama Game” (see next), while George Abbott (“The Pajama Game,” “The Boys from Syracuse”) wrote the screenplay, based on the play’s book by Abbott and Douglass Wallop. Abbott, who also directed “The Pajama Game,” also co-directed the film with Stanley Donen (“Singing in the Rain,” “Charade”). The often-wonderful choreography executed by Verdon was created by Bob Fosse (“All That Jazz,” “Sweet Charity,” “Cabaret”), whom Verdon would marry in 1960.

Verdon, who had won a Tony Award for the role, sparkles when she tempts Joe in the locker-room, singing and dancing “Whatever Lola Wants,” and later dances and sings the original mambo duet “Who’s Got the Pain” with Fosse, who plays himself. Other musical highlights include the manager and three players performing “Heart” and the nightclub “Two Lost Souls,” sung by Verdon and Hunter and with a dance number that is pure Fosse in scope, style and sound.

Amusing bits have Applegate saying he has helped politicians and “parking lot owners” as he explains the advantages of selling one’s soul for a dream to be realized, and Joe having a batting average of an unheard .524.

The film was nominated for one Academy Award, that of Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (3-time Oscar winner and 18-time nominee Ray Heindorf). Grade: film 3.75 stars

The Pajama Game (1957, NR, 100 min.). In “The Pajama Game,” an adaptation of the Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, Doris Day plays Babe Williams, a single gal who is head of the Grievance Committee at the Sleeptite pajama-making factory. The employees are getting restless because they want the 7-and-1/2-cent raise other factory workers having recently received.

The tightwad running the factory is Myron Hasler (Ralph Dunn, who played police detective Pete Rafferty in three films in the 1940s and whose career includes dozens of uncredited film appearances). Into the situation comes a new factory supervisor, Sid Sorokin, played by John Raitt, who next made the TV movie, “Annie Get Your Gun.” Raitt had starred in Chicago in “Oklahoma!” and on Broadway in “Carousel.”

The attraction between Babe and Sid, despite them being on different sides in the labor negotiations, is almost immediate, despite her singing “I’m Not at All in Love.” By the 25-minute mark, Sid has asked her out on a date and they are kissing 10 minutes later during the company picnic, which is very similar to a picnic scene in “Carousel,” but here features some very athletic dancing, including on a hillside, choreographed by the great Bob Fosse (“All That Jazz,” “Cabaret,” “Sweet Charity,” which are three of my favorite films).

Other characters in the genial musical comedy are Eddie Foy Jr. (“Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “Murder in the Air”) as Vernon Hines, the jealous suitor of Gladys Hotchkiss (Carol Haney of “Invitation to the Dance,” “On the Town,” “Kiss Me Kate,” the latter two more favorites of mine). Hasler’s secretary is Mabel, played by Reta Shaw of “Marry Poppins,” “Picnic” and TV’s “The Ghost & Mrs. Muir,” who was born in South Paris, Maine.

Other classic songs in the score include “Hey There,” “Steam Heat” and “Hernando’s Hideaway,” with the “There Once Was a Man” duet pretty good as well. The orchestrators were by Nelson Riddle (Frank Sinatra) and Buddy Bregman, with Ray Heindorf the uncredited musical director. The film was directed by George Abbott, who wrote the musical with original novelist Richard Bissell, and Stanley Donen (“Charade,” “Singing in the Rain” – another of my favorites – and “Funny Face”). The original 1954 production and the 2006 revival both won Tony Awards as Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical, respectively.

The only extra is Day performing the deleted song, “The Man Who Invented Love” (3 min.). Grade: film 4 stars; extra 1.5 stars

“Brigadoon” (1954, G, 108 min.). In the musical, two Americans on a hunting trip in Scotland become lost. They encounter a small village, not on the map, called Brigadoon, in which people harbor a mysterious secret, and behave as if they were still living 200 years in the past. That is because the town emerges from the Scottish mist only once every 100 years.

The hunters are Tommy Albright (Gene Kelly of “Singin’ in the Rain,” “An American in Paris,” “On the Town”) and Jeff Douglas (Van Johnson of “The Caine Mutiny,” “In the Good Ole Summertime”). They discover Brigadoon is an enchanted place where life is simpler and easier, untouched by worries. There, Kelly and town lass Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse of “Silk Stockings,” “The Band Wagon”) share the love of a lifetime – one seemingly allotted just 24 hours. However, there is magic and timeless songs, including “Almost Like Being in Love” and “The Heather on the Hill.”

Fiona’s younger sister, Jean (Virginia Bosler), is eagerly anticipating her wedding that day to local lad Charlie Dalrymple (Jimmy Thompson). With one key exception -- malcontent Harry Beaton (Hugh Laing), a disappointed suitor of Jean Campbell, who now yearns to see the world -- the entire population of Brigadoon appears blissfully content and at peace with their isolation, and Tommy falls in love with the town as much as he does with Fiona. One of the conditions of Brigadoon's "miracle" is that nobody leave town.

The film is based on the 1947 Broadway musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe (“My Fair Lady,” “Camelot”). It is directed by Vincente Minnelli (“An American in Paris,” “Gigi,” “Meet Me in St. Louis’). It was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Art Director-Set Decoration (Cedric Gibbons, E. Preston Ames, Edwin B. Willis, F. Keogh Gleason), Best Costume Design (Irene Sharaff) and Best Sound, Recording (Wesley C. Miller). Grade: film 3.25 stars

“Gypsy” (1962, NR, 143 min.). Based on the 1959 Broadway musical by Arthur Laurents, Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, the show/film is based on the life of famous stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, but the main character is her monster of a stage mother, who dragged her two daughters around the vaudeville circuit until one of them ran off and the other, Gypsy, became successful on her own. Legendary Broadway producer David Merrick acquired the rights to Lee's autobiography and Laurents wrote the book of the musical, as he became intrigued by the theme of parents living out their lives through their children. Styne wrote the score – at the insistence of star Ethel Merman -- but Sondheim wrote the lyrics, as he had for “West Side Story.”

Jerome Robbins directed and choreographed the musical, and film director Mervyn LeRoy drew heavily on Robbins' original ideas.

Mama Rose Hovick (Rosalind Russell of “His Girl Friday,” “Auntie Mame”) is a massive role. On stage, it won Tony awards for Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly and Patti LuPone, and was the role Ethel Merman was most identified with. Natalie Wood (“Rebel Without a Cause,” “West Side Story” plays daughter Louise Hovick.

Rose, three-times married, steamrollers her way across the vaudeville circuit, promoting her two daughters: the blonde and precocious Baby June (Morgan Brittany); and the brunette and clumsy Baby Louise (Diane Pace). Over the years, the girls grow up into "Dainty" June (Ann Jillian) and just plain Louise (Wood), but Rose barely changes the act, as the songs and dances are always the same.

Rose picks up a potential fourth husband in Herbie (Karl Malden), the performer turned Butterfinger salesman who undertakes to manage Rose and her daughters. After years of loyal service, Herbie realizes that he will always play second fiddle to Rose's ambition.

After June flees with a chorus member, Rose promotes Louise to stardom, regardless of what Louise wants. The songs include "Everything's Coming Up Roses.”

The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Cinematography (Harry Stradling Sr.), Best Costume Design (Orry-Kelly) and Best Music, Scoring (Frank Perkins).  Grade: film 4 stars

“The Boy Friend” (1971, G, 138 min.). Directed and co-written by Ken Russell (“Tommy,” “The Devils,” “Altered States”), the film has the leading lady of a low-budget musical revue sprain her ankle, making Polly, the assistant stage manager, forced to perform in her place, becoming a star and finding love in the process.

The musical is supposed to be a spoof on Busby Berkeley-type 1930s musicals, but actually features some Berkeley takeoffs. During the show, a big Hollywood director is in a box at the edge of the stage, and everybody in the musical hopes to be hired for the movies.

The film stars fashion icon Twiggy (“The Blues Brothers”) as Polly, who sings and dances okay, but is rather passive as a performer. In the film, director Max Mandeville (Max Adrian) is jolted by the arrival of a famous Hollywood director with the silly name of "De Thrill" (Vladek Sheybal). Everyone assumes De Thrill has come to scout talent for his next film, inspiring preening and fawning by some members of the company and jitters in others.

As usual with a Russell film, he goes a little wild. Russell adds an imaginary world in which the show's already colorful musical numbers are freed from the laws of physics and the constraints of good taste. Sometimes it is Max imagining how the number would play with a bigger budget; sometimes it is De Thrill envisioning a filmed version of the play; and sometimes it is a cast member indulging in flights of fancy. A country scene shifts into an actual forest, complete with pagan rituals. A gramophone accompanying two dancers is transformed into an immense dance floor. The orchestra pit fills with players, and lavish costumes and props appear and disappear. Grade: film 2.5 stars

Rating guide: 5 stars = classic; 4 stars = excellent; 3 stars = good; 2 stars = fair; dog = skip it

Lucifer: The Complete Series (2016-2022, Warner Bros., 22 Blu-rays, NR, 5,580 min.). The set contains all six seasons of the supernatural series, based on the Vertigo comics. Lucifer Morningstar, the unhappy Lord of Hell who has abandoned his throne, and Los Angeles Police Det. Chloe Decker solve murders, as their relationship grows deeper, closer and more awkward. In season two, Lucifer's mother, Charlotte (Tricia Helfer), escapes Hell, bringing along emotional baggage and forcing Lucifer to work with his angel brother, Amenadiel. The series stars Tom Ellis (TV’s “Miranda”) as Lucifer and Lauren German (Hostel: Part II”) as Chloe.

In season three, Lucifer has to find out who kidnapped him and why his angel wings are back. Tom Welling (TV's "Smallville") joins the cast as Marcus Pierce, a police lieutenant who is strategic, reserved and well-respected, as well as charming, charismatic and handsome. Pierce starts developing a connection with Chloe, which sets Lucifer off.

During the 16-episode fifth season – the first of two seasons on Netflix -- Lucifer returns from Hell, while Chloe rethinks romance. Meanwhile, Ella Lopez (Aimee Garcia) finally lands a nice guy and Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) adjusts to fatherhood. During the season’s first half, Lucifer’s twin brother Michael (also Ellis) secretly takes his place on Earth. During the second half, God (Dennis Haysbert) makes his reappearance.

Among the more than three hours of bonus features are the 2016 and 2017 San Diego Comic Con panels, deleted scenes, gag reels and the featurette, "Reinventing Lucifer in the City of Angels." Season three extras also include a look at bring the show to Los Angeles; and Ellis and Welling interviewing each other on their roles and lives in the show. Grade: series 3.5 stars; extras 2.5 stars

On the Run (1988, Hong Kong, 88 Films, Blu-ray, NR, 89 min.). The film is set prior to the 1987 handover of Hong Kong to China, a time when many of the city’s residents were trying to move away. Yuen Baio (“The Prodigal Son,” “Righting Wrongs”) plays policeman Heung Ming, who is in the process of getting divorced from Luk Wan. However, at a restaurant meeting, Heung asks his wife to postpone the divorce so he can emigrate with her to Canada.

Minutes after Heung leaves the restaurant, a two-person team assassinates his wife, who works for the police narcotics bureau. The two fatal shots are fired by Chui (Pat Ha of “My Name Ain’t Suzie,” “An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty”).

Investigating his wife’s death, Heung learns that Police Superintendent Lui (Charlie Chin, who starred with Yuen in “Winners and Sinners,” “My Lucky Stars,” “Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars”) was his wife’s lover and is leading a group of bad cops in the homicide division who are selling drugs for kingpin Snake Ming.

Heung traces down and arrests Chui, after Lui has her partner murdered, but then realizes Lui has sent men to kill her and, later, himself. Soon Heung and Chui keep saving each other’s lives, as the bad police agents are chasing them. A complication is the bad police also go after Heung’s mother-in-law and his young daughter, Little Lam.

There are traps everywhere for Heung and Chui, whom he grows to respect, and not everyone involved survives. Heung has only one ally in the police, Ng, whom he used to work for.

The film represents a departure from the usual martial arts movies for which Yuen became famous. Directed and co-written by Alfred Cheung (“Her Fatal Ways” film quartet), with Keith Wong, the film is an exciting crime thriller, with some intriguing moral dilemmas, as well as a fast pace. Yuen injects a sense of realism into his role, so you believe he is fighting for his life. Chin shakes off his comedic roots to portray a menacing villain. 

Cheung makes the film extremely dark, without comedy or intricately choreographed action sequences. There are a few fights in which the combatants reach for anything they can get hold of to defend themselves. The final fight between Heung and Lui is particularly brutal.

Extras include two audio commentaries: one by Kenneth Brorsson and Phil Gillon of the Podcast on Fire Network; and the other by Asian cinema experts Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto. There also is an interview, in English, with director Cheung (20:35); an interview with David West (18:49); and an alternate ending (1:29). It has a new 2K transfer from the original film elements. Grade: film 3.5 stars; extras 3 stars

Saga of the Phoenix (1989, Hong Kong, 88 Films, NR, 94 min.). In this sequel to “Peacock King,” also directed by Lam Nai-Choi and again starring Yuen Baio and Gloria Yip, with Yuen co-directing “Peacock King” and Lau Shut-Yue co-directing “Saga,” the Holy Maiden of Hell, Ashura (Yip), possesses immense power that can destroy humanity. Buddhist monks trap her in a deep cave to keep her from falling into evil hands; however, kindhearted Abbot Jiku (Katsu Shintaro of “Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman”) and the High Abbess (Yuko Natori of “Crest of Betrayal”) grant her wish to enjoy the human world for seven days.

Master Peacock (Yuen), Lucky Fruit (Abe Hiroshi of “Godzilla 2000”) and others are sent to keep Ashura from breaking her promise to return and serve her punishment. It turns out, though, Ashura might not be their only problem. Hell’s Concubine (Ngai Suet of “Ghost Ballroom”) orders her demonic squad to Earth to kidnap Ashura so she can drain her rival’s spirit and control other devils.

The film is steeped in underworld intrigue and high-flying martial arts choreography, combined with quirky comedic moments. It is a unique mix of outrageous mystical fantasy and martial arts action. The characters trade blows that defy gravity, battle giant stone dogs and unleash massive fireballs. There also is a cartoonishly adorable genie who befriends Ashura, until the Hell’s Concubine twists him into a soul-sucking creature, which pushes the film’s fantasy into darker territory.

Extras include a 40-page, perfect-bound, heavily-illustrated book with cast and crew information, Andrew Heskins discussing Hong Kong’s fascination with Japanese manga and David West discussing the cultural and cinematic exchanges of Hong Kong and Japan; a limited-edition premium art card; audio commentary by Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto; alternate Japanese footage; featurettes on Gold Harvest studio and Albert Lee discussing the studio’s overseas distribution strategy; and an image gallery. Grade: film 3 stars; extras 3.5 stars

Vampire Zombies from Space! (2024, Canada, Cleopatra, Blu-ray, NR, 98 min.). The film clearly wishes to be a cult classic, but its premise is too stupid – Dracula can turn humans into zombies – and the execution is too juvenile, although the latter may be intentional. When Dracula or his son turn into bats, the wires are plainly visible as they “fly” around; the same goes for the numerous flying saucers.

The film is directed and co-written by Michael Stasko (“Boys vs. Girls”) and stars Craig Gloster (“The Eternal Present”) as Dracula, with Robert Kemeny as Dracula’s son Dylan. It begins in 1957 in the town of Marlow. Dracula arrives, eats a dog and attacks a family of four with a spaceship ray. The mother becomes a messed-up corpse, but the police cannot pin the crime on the father, although town gossip clearly does.

Jumping forward 10 years, daughter Susan is now in high school and being picked on by boys. After encountering four bad boys in a car, Dracula’s zombies rip out her throat, leading to a gross autopsy. Investigating her death are Police Chief Ed Clarke (Andrew Bee) and new transfer cop James Wallace (Rashaun Baldeo). When, Susan’s dad Roy goes looking for her, he is brought to Dracula’s space station. The film does throw in some homages, such as the Ed Wood hardware store.

One funny scene is when a zombie is cut in half and both his top half and bottom half have to be fought. But most of the special effects are super fake looking. There is a mass zombie attack on the town, with cigarettes and their smoke being bothersome to the zombies. Unfortunately, the film sets up a possible sequel.

There is an audio commentary by the director; five deleted scenes (4:54); cast and crew interviews (16:23); an interview with Judith O’Dea, who plays Vampira here, but performed in the original “Night of the Living Dead” (4:04); an interview with Troma film honcho Lloyd Kaufman, who plays the exposing masturbator in this film (3:19); a visit to the Windsor International Film Festival (1:30); and a slide show that is mostly in color, even though the film is black-and-white (3:12). Grade: film 2.75 stars; extras 3 stars

Luther the Geek (1989, Troma, Blu-ray, NR, 80 min.). Speaking of Troma, here is the first of two films from the studio. According to this film, a “geek” is a disturbed carnival sideshow performer who bites the heads off snakes and chickens, usually for a reward that helps to calm urges of alcoholism and drug addiction.

During a circus geek show in 1938, young Luther falls and loses three teeth, but he is close enough to the geek to lick some of the blood from the chicken. Before this flashback, we see a parole board vote 3-2 to release Luther from prison after serving 20 years for committing three murders. Before the film ends, Luther will add five more bodies to his curriculum vitae. Throughout the film, Luther squawks and clucks like a chicken instead of talking.

Luther (Edward Terry of “The Children”) apparently heads back to his home town, where he invades the remote home of Mrs. Lawson (Joan Roth), just a short while before her daughter Beth (Stacy Haiduk of TV’s “Superboy,” “The Young and the Restless,” “Days of Our Lives”) returns from college with her boyfriend Rob (Thomas Mills of “Bean”). Of course, this type of film has to have some nudity, so there is a shower sex scene, with Rob not afraid of showing his rearend.

Meanwhile, Luther has started attacking.

A bit later, a Trooper (Jerry Clarke) shows up to warn the Lawsons about Luther, but Beth cannot say anything or her mother will be killed. When Trooper returns, suspecting foul play (no pun intended), the idiot never calls for backup. It does lead to a long section of Trooper trying to track down Luther in the barn. Of course, while that is going on, Mrs. Lawson, instead of staying in the house as instructed by Trooper, goes into the barn with a rifle.

The film’s ending is super weird, as Mrs. Lawson pretends to communicate with Luther via squawking and clucks.

Extras include a Lloyd Kaufman introduction (5:07) that turns gross when he has a guy, who has nothing to do with the film, try to do oral sex on himself. There also is an audio commentary by director and co-writer Carlton J. Albright, who used his own son Will as Little Luther; Albright also does a brief intro to the film (38 seconds). There are an old interview (5:12) and a new interview (6:35) with the director; an old interview with Will Albright (2:40); and a Clarke interview, with the video, including film clips, missing (10:17).

Additionally, there are four deleted scenes with the director talking about them (8:50); outtakes of the barn fight sequence (8:50), an old lady getting killed (2:38), Luther getting shot (1:12) and the shower scene (7:30); and Troma’s Freak Show with samples of archery (1:49), a torture guy (1:41), a blades guy on a bed of nails (1:11) and a sword swallower (52 sec.). Grade: 2.25 stars; extras 2.5 stars

Frightmare (1983, Troma, Blu-ray, NR, 86 min.). Horror actor Conrad Radzoff (Ferdy Mayne of “The Howling II,” “Conan the Destroyer”) dies and seven members of a college film society decide to steal his corpse and hold a party with it inside the house several of his films were shot. Or does Radzoff really die? The film is way too confusing to give a definitive answer. However, soon the seven students are dying off.

One unique portion has Radzoff set up video bits that are shown inside his crypt as deadly traps are sprung. Once more, the film has a sex scene, but less explicit. Oh yes, Radzoff’s coffin flies at one point, further bending reality.

The cast has one familiar face. It is Jeffrey Coombs as Stu, who went on to star in “Re-Animator” and TV’s “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” Here, he loses his head.

The film was written and directed by Norman Thaddeus Vane (“Club Life,” “You’re So Dead”), who provides an audio commentary, as do David Dell and David DeCoteau of Hysteria on another track, while a third commentary is by The Hysteria Continues. There is a video interview with director of photography Joel King (21:21); an artwork gallery (2:04); “The Suit of Meat for Satan’s Ice Box,” a film by Gary Lessen (5:45); and the same Innards! music video about Troma films that came with “Luther the Geek” (1:50). Grade: film 1.5 stars; extras 2.5 stars