Fans of both Nat "King" Coles--the swinging hipster and the mainstream pop crooner--should find something to admire in this TV appearance, first broadcast by the BBC in 1961. The 14-song, roughly 50-minute concert favors the hits that brought Cole his biggest commercial successes in the 1950s and ‘60s, from the memorable ("Unforgettable" and "Mona Lisa") to the middlebrow ("Ramblin' Rose" and "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer," which finds him barely maintaining his dignity while sporting a straw boater and a ukulele); but those who remember him as a top-notch jazzman are rewarded with a three-song set for which Cole brings out a piano and a quartet and flexes his jazz chops on the likes of "Sweet Lorraine" and "It's Only a Paper Moon." The concert direction is unimaginative and the DVD has no extra features, but in the end, the inimitable, velvety smooth voice of Nat "King" Cole is bonus enough. Recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)
An Evening with Nat King Cole
(1961) 47 min. DVD: $19.99. Image Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. Volume 17, Issue 4
An Evening with Nat King Cole
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: