The Unsinkable Molly Brown

The last hurrah for the MGM musical, director Charles Walters' sprawling, rollicking 1964 adaptation of Meredith Wilson's Broadway sensation was, along with Singin' in the Rain, Debbie Reynolds' finest hour, earning her an Oscar nomination for her high-spirited portrayal of foundling Molly Brown, a rough-and-tumble tomboy determined to someday live among Denver high society. Molly's dreams come true when she marries Johnny (Harve Presnell, the only original member of the Broadway cast), a down-to-earth backwoods miner who strikes it rich. Molly's indefatigable spirit is put to the ultimate test when she finds herself aboard the Titanic on its ill-fated maiden voyage. Of the original songs to survive the transition from stage to screen, the defiant “I Ain't Down Yet” and the rowdy “Belly Up to the Bar Boys” are highlights, while the best of the new songs is the show-stopping “He's My Friend,” in which Molly and Johnny's uncouth acquaintances from back home bust up a highfalutin shindig. The Unsinkable Molly Brown is endearingly and entertainingly old school, with an undimmed sense of the American can-do spirit. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)[Blu-ray Review—July 26, 2016—Warner, 135 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $21.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1964's The Unsinkable Molly Brown sports a fine transfer with a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include “The Story of a Dress” behind-the-scenes featurette (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid musical shines on Blu-ray.]