MovieChat Forums > Tom, Dick and Harry (1941) Discussion > "Tom, Dick and Harry" in color

"Tom, Dick and Harry" in color

posted 8 years ago by DoctorJuliaHoffman
2 replies | jump to latest

Okay, I bought the Italian DVD set on one of the European Amazon websites for under $5.00. It was a bargain because you get two DVDs. One disc has the film in black and white and the other disc has it in color. I know many people don't like black and white films tampered with, but they gave Ginger such beautiful blue eyes in the color version. She was absolutely lovely! The movie looks bright and sunny in color. I liked it. Another nice thing about the DVDs is you can watch the film in English with the Italian subtitles turned off via the DVD menu. It's really a superb buy. I'm very pleased with my purchase. You need a Region Free DVD player outside of Europe. The only other colorized Ginger movie I've seen is "Bachelor Mother" (and the finale of "42nd Street").

It seems many people blame Janie for busting up Dick's relationship with Brenda Whitney, Jr. Well, Dick was a Casanova. He's just back in his small town after living in New York for awhile. When Tom dumps Janie and Harry at Inspiration Point, Dick gives them a lift back to town. But, Dick isn't alone in his car. He's at Inspiration Point with a girl named Paula. The next day when he places a long distance phone call to Brenda in New York, Janie already knows he's been cheating on Brenda at Inspiration Point the night before with Paula. When Janie cuts off Dick's telephone call with Brenda she tells him she was the girl he had picked up the night before and he asks "Who, Paula?" She then tells him she was the girl with Harry. Dick quickly flirts with Janie on the phone.

I think Dick was very handsome. I wouldn't have minded marrying him myself. But how long could a girl trust him? (Alan Marshall was also a Casanova to Maureen O'Hara in RKO's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".) Brenda was comfortable in New York thinking he was faithful to her. But once back in his small town he had no problem picking up Paula and bringing her to Inspiration Point and then ultimately falling for Janie. Yes, Janie did conive a little, but she already knew that he was just back in town and already cheating on his girlfriend Brenda with Paula. I guess Janie really was meant for Harry after all. I wonder if handsome Casanova Dick went back to simultaneously dating Paula in his small town and Brenda in New York. If not, there were many other girls...

[–] mcdemuth 7 years ago

I know many people don't like black and white films tampered with

In either 1987 or 1988, Ginger Rogers, and several other celebrities, including James Stewart and Woody Allen, testified before a Senate committee on Capitol Hill in Washington AGAINST the "colorization" of old black and white movies by Ted Turner. James Stewart said: "the coloring of black-and-white films is wrong. It's morally and artistically wrong and these profiteers should leave our film industry alone"

I prefer to watch movies as they were originally filmed and meant to be seen... and especially Ginger Rogers' movies, just and she wanted them to remain...

It was a bargain because you get two DVDs. One disc has the film in black and white and the other disc has it in color.

I have a two disc set of "It's A Wonderful Life". It does come with the original Black & White version. That satisfies the purist in me. It also comes with a new colorized version done around 2007 on a second disc. This colorization is nothing like what Ted Turner was doing in the 1980s. It is far superior colorization process. While I do think the colors look strange, it is very watchable to those who can't stand Black & White films. As long as the Black & White version is included, I am fine with those releases.

But they gave Ginger such beautiful blue eyes in the color version. She was absolutely lovely!

Ginger's amazing eyes, which frequently expressed her emotions, were in fact sparkling blue! And yes, she was a very beautiful Lady.

The only other colorized Ginger movie I've seen is "Bachelor Mother" (and the finale of "42nd Street").

While Ginger found her home at RKO, which made her a star... Sadly, RKO continued to make Black & White movies into the 1950s, while many other more prominent studios were making pictures in color. She was only in about a half dozen movies that were filmed in color.

I do wish that she had starred in more color movies, and that some of her best films had been filmed in color.

If you haven't seen "The Barkleys Of Broadway" (1949)... her last film with Fred Astaire, which was the only ONE of their TEN to be filmed in color... you might want to move that to the top of your wish list. Athletically Fit Ginger was very beautiful in this pretty good color film.

[–] DoctorJuliaHoffman 7 years ago

Yes, I've seen the clip of Ginger and other celebrities testifying on YouTube. Colorization in those days was not very good. I saw the first colorization of "It's a Wonderful Life" on VHS back in the early 1990s. I understand the more recent one is much better. I'm not really into colorization. But, the "Tom, Dick and Harry" Italian DVD had me curious and the price was right.

Oh, I've seen every one of Ginger's movies except "Hat Check Girl". Thankfully, it's been found and has had a recent showing at a TCM film festival last year. I wish they would hurry up and show it on TCM. It deserves to be put on a TCM Vault Collection DVD like they did with "Rafter Romance". Or, at least, on one of those Forbidden Hollywood DVD collections that deal with pre-code gems.