- Actors: Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Alice Brady, Andy Devine
- Directors: Henry King
- Writers: Lamar Trotti, Niven Busch, Sonya Levien
- Producers: Darryl F. Zanuck, Kenneth Macgowan
- Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dubbed, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English, Spanish
- Region: (US and Canada This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- MPAA Rating:
- Studio: Fox Video
- Release Date: Aug 9 2005
- Run Time: 95 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0009NZ2NS
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#2,799 in DVD (See Top 100 in DVD)
- #5 in DVD > Action & Adventure > Disaster Films
- #30 in DVD > Classics > Drama
- #30 in DVD > Drama > Classics
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
In Old Chicago was 20th Century Fox's grandest production of 1938, and it's still worthy of classic status. Along with MGM's 1936 earthquake drama San Fracisco, it ranks among the finest of the early disaster films, and the climactic depiction of the great Chicago fire of 1871 is still impressive, with some shots that are just as amazing as the digitally rendered disaster effects of present-day Hollywood. It's a highly fictionalized account of the O'Leary family, whose legendary milk-cow kicked over the lamp that set Chicago ablaze, and the teaming of Tyrone Power, Don Ameche, and Alice Faye (as O'Leary brothers Dion and Jack, and Jack's showgirl wife Belle) proved so popular that they were reunited, along with director Henry King, in Darryl F. Zanuck's follow-up production of Alexander's Ragtime Band. They lead a lively cast (including Andy Devine and Brian Donlevy) that delivers all the entertainment value that Zanuck could muster, focusing on the rivalry between Jack and Dion as they clash over their political ambitions and future plans for "The Patch," the beloved Chicago slum district in which they were raised. Their mother (played by Alice Brady in an Oscar®-winning performance) struggles to hold her brood together, and the sibling rivalry reaches a fever pitch just as the city's about to go up in flames. Along the way we're treated to Faye's silky-smooth performances of vintage show tunes (like the title song), and movie buffs will appreciate the early appearance of Rondo Hatton, a bit player who suffered from acromegaly, a deforming pituitary condition (similar to gigantism) that caused him to have one of the most unique faces in the history of movies. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tyrone Power (as Dion O'Leary): "Nothing can lick Chicago!",
By
This review is from: In Old Chicago (DVD)
IN OLD CHICAGO (1940) - Alice Faye, Tyrone Power, Don Ameche, Alice Brady, Andy Devine, Brian Donlevy, Sidney Blackmer, Gene RaymondThis DVD presents two well-preserved versions. An original "road show" edition of the film that was whittled down before general circulation from 111 to 95 minutes. The final cut is here as well. Also included is a BIOGRAPHY episode, Don Ameche: Hollywood's Class Act, plus commentary tracks and a trailer. Like all features and cartoons released during the lengthy ASCAP strike, "In Old Chicago" relies for music on such public domain chestnuts as "Oh Genevieve," "The Irish Washerwoman" and "Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys." Set in 1871, a fictional drama of the O'Leary family unfolds while we wait for the family's skittish cow to kick over that lantern. This small barn fire culminates in the destruction of a major portion of the city from an all-engulfing inferno. Really spectacular fire sequences still boggle the mind fully 70 years later. IMO, Tyrone Power's best and a most enjoyable FOX motion picture. Note: it's surprising that "In Old Chicago" has yet to be remade!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Road Show Version a Treasure!,
By Patricia Benham (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: In Old Chicago (DVD)
At last - the full movie! The scenes included in the road show version help flesh out the narrative, and the movie is now much more consistent and coherent than in the shorter version (until now, the only version available). If you liked this movie before, you'll like it even better now. It was an ambitious project by a fledgling studio (made when 20th Century Fox was only two years old) and they pulled it off in style. In addition, this disc includes a worthwhile biography of Don Ameche - a mainstay of the era's movies who won the Oscar decades later for "Cocoon".
4.0 out of 5 stars
In Old Chicago...,
By A Customer
This review is from: In Old Chicago (VHS Tape)
I thought this was a pretty accurate account of the Chicago Fire in 1871, not 1873, as someone else has said, but this person being from California, I can understand.I am a Chicagoan, and try to find out as much as a possibly can about the fire. This is a historical fiction, but it does justice. The whole cow issue, is just a legend.
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