Emperor Waltz and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court on DVD

Emperor Waltz

Universal has put together a pretty neat double header with these two Bing Crosby vehicles.

“Yankee” is the better of the two, but they’re both entertaining enough, and both benefit greatly from their conversion to DVD.

Each movie takes up one side of the disc.

“Yankee” is based on Mark Twain’s novel, and sees Bing as a turn-of-the-20th-century blacksmith who, during a storm, is knocked out and awakens in the age of King Arthur and Camelot.

He’s a fish out of water, of course, but he’s also a fast study and rather than being out to sea in his new civilization, he quickly adapts to it and, thanks to his good old American know-how, manages to be taken seriously as a wizard.

This, of course, doesn’t do a lot to get him on the good side of Merlin…

He also finds time to woo the luscious Rhonda Fleming, who plays King Arthur’s niece - who, alas, is engaged to the jealous Sir Lancelot, and this leads to Bing being challenged to a duel.

It’s all leavened with good humor and some nice Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke songs including “Busy Doing Nothing” and “Once and for Always.” Not among Bing’s big hits, of course, but catchy enough nonetheless.

The DVD is presented in its original 4x3 full frame aspect ratio, so owners of 16x9 TV sets will have to stretch/zoom it to fill their screens, but this is better than any artificial cropping. And the video quality itself is excellent, with a razor sharp image and beautiful “old Hollywood” color.

Bonus materials are limited to the theatrical trailer and some other title recommendations.

Billy Wilder’s The Emperor Waltz is all about Viennese royalty and high society, and how an American traveling salesman can go from being the proverbial bull in a china shop to an honored personage.

Crosby this time around is Virgil Smith, a phonograph salesman on a road trip who’s bound and determined to move his product into Viennese society. He figures if he can get the Emperor convinced of the greatness of his technological marvel that would be a good place to start.

But of course getting the Emperor’s ear isn’t as easy as he thought.

Fortunately, they have dogs in Austria. This proves to be Smith’s entry ticket to the Viennese people, thanks to a “puppy love” affair between his fox terrier and the poodle belonging to Countess Johanna Augusta (Joan Fontaine).

This affair threatens to become a huge scandal - what with the interloping Yankee cur making time with the upper crust Austrian animal - but the easy going style and openness of Virgil Smith rides to the rescue and all ends happily.

This isn’t one of Wilder’s best known films, or even one of his best, but it’s fun and it’s entertaining enough. Crosby is his usual crooning self (with such songs as “Friendly Mountains” and “I Kiss Your Hand, Madam”), and the supporting cast is fine as well.

We were hoping for a lot more Strauss music, but alas ‘twas not to be. We are treated to sections from the Emperor Waltz, not surprisingly, but we also hear just as much (or so it seems) of “Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles,” which isn’t nearly as pleasant.

Still, it’s light and entertaining and that’s just fine with us.

As with “Yankee,” the DVD is very nice, though sparse. The (full frame, not 16x9 TV compatible) video quality is excellent, rich and sharp and it’s enough to make you want to head for the Alps. Audio, alas, is standard Dolby Digital mono, its original incarnation. We’d have loved it if there was great stereo or multi channel Strauss, but what can you do?

Extras are limited to the trailer and recommended titles.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, from Universal Home Video
107 min. full frame (1.33:1, not 16x9 TV compatible), Dolby Digital mono
Starring Bing Crosby, Rhonda Fleming, William Bendix, Sir Cedric Hardwicke
Produced by Robert Fellows
Written by Edmund Beloin, directed by Tay Garnett

The Emperor Waltz, from Universal Home Video
107 min. full frame (1.33:1, not 16x9 TV compatible), Dolby Digital mono
Starring Bing Crosby, Joan Fontaine, Roland Culver, Lucile Watson, Richard Haydn
Produced by Charles Brackett
Written by Charles Bracket and Billy Wilder, directed by Billy Wilder

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