REVIEW

DVD Review: Frank Sinatra - The Golden Years Collection

Written by Mark Kalriess
Published June 24, 2008

This year is the 10th anniversary of Frank Sinatra's death. Perhaps a bit morbidly this has been seen as a chance to re-release a lot of his material. There have two greatest hits packages released, multiple DVD sets, and even postage stamps. The Golden Years set includes five Warner Bros. movies Frank made between 1955 and 1965. Marriage on the Rocks

In Marriage on the Rocks Sinatra plays against type as Dan Edwards, a fuddy-duddy husband to Deborah Kerr's Val Edwards. In his stead, Dean Martin plays the swinging bachelor Ernie. Val is sick of Dan always putting his work ahead of her and of him being a bore. She wishes she had married Ernie instead.

Dan and Val decide to go to Mexico for a second honeymoon to re-ignite the passion. Through a series of mishaps the couple ends up divorced and Val accidentally marries Ernie. Val decides to stay married to Ernie for a while to make Dan jealous. Dan turns out to be all too happy to be a bachelor again. While Dan turns back into a swingin' bachelor, familial and corporate pressures turn Ernie into a boring guy.

Dean Martin plays a drunk in the movie, but from his acting it appears he was actually drunk throughout filming.

The movie has the plot of a screwball comedy, but moves much too slowly and does not have sharp enough dialogue to really qualify as one. The Tender Trap

In the Tender Trap, Sinatra plays Charlie, a smooth ladies man who works as a talent agent in New York. He has multiple dates with gorgeous girls every day but does not let any of them tie him down. Then he meets Julie Gillis, (Debbie Reynolds) a new actress for him to represent. He is instantly drawn to her because she wants nothing to do with him. She has her whole life planned out; from the day she will get married to where her kids will attend school. She does not think that he fits into her plans. She of course does fall for him, but then she finds out about the other girls.

The movie is a fine, light and breezy comedy. David Wayne and Celeste Holm give good supporting turns as Charlie's recently returned best friend and his original main squeeze.

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Mark Kalriess loves to enjoy and write about video games, movies, music, and sports. You can read his opinions on all these subjects at the Entertainment Center. You can listen to his opinions on sports on the podcast, Washington Sportsjam.
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DVD Review: Frank Sinatra - The Golden Years Collection
Published: June 24, 2008
Type: Review
Section: Video
Filed Under: Review, Video: Action, Video: Art House, Video: Classics, Video: Comedy, Video: Drama, Video: Military, Video: Romantic Comedies
Writer: Mark Kalriess
Mark Kalriess's BC Writer page
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