Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

A Hole in the Head Blu-ray Movie Review

He's gotta be him.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 5, 2015

There is a fantastic chapter in the inimitable William (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) Goldman book The Season detailing what happens when “the power” (or as Goldman calls it, the muscle) behind any given Broadway show calls the shots without regard to repercussions. In his recounting of the trials and tribulations of the by now largely forgotten musical Golden Rainbow, Goldman charts the course of a show that was controlled by its stars, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, rather than by anyone “below the line.” Golden Rainbow was a musicalized version of the old Frank Capra film A Hole in the Head (which itself was based on a straight play), and because Lawrence and Gorme wanted a “star vehicle” for both of them, they insisted that the plot be retooled to offer Gorme a larger part. The fact that Goldman entitled that chapter “Washing Garbage” might initially perhaps be some indication of the disdain he felt over the show’s source material, but Goldman is actually quite complimentary about the original play. The "garbage" he refers to was with regard to the patently insane decisions various people made to rework that source material to make it "fit" its stars. That seems especially ill advised given the fact that A Hole in the Head is, in its cinematic version at least, a rather charming outing if taken on its own relatively small scale merits. Frank Sinatra stars as Tony Manetta, a well meaning if slightly incompetent boutique hotel operator who is also a widower with a young son named Ally (an adorable Eddie Hodges). Tony is not exactly an entrepreneur, and in fact is typically in major financial trouble. As the film opens, he’s even more desperate than usual, leading to him contacting his brother Mario (Edward G. Robinson). That sets a cartwheeling parade of consequences into motion where ultimately Tony’s ability to continue parenting Ally is put in serious jeopardy.

Tony’s Miami hotel may be called the Garden of Eden, but it’s at best a purgatorial hideaway, a small and somewhat shabby enclave that Tony struggles mightily to keep afloat. As is detailed early in the film, Tony’s efforts are evidently coming to naught, as he’s received an eviction notice. It’s notable that Tony is not portrayed as a noble, long suffering hero, but rather more in the mold of the “heels” that Sinatra became an expert at playing during this period of his film career. Tony may mean well, especially with regard to his lovable son, but he’s also a victim of his own excesses, including a penchant for gambling as well as purchasing high priced luxury items.

Desperate to save his hotel, Tony indulges in a bit of subterfuge, calling his elder brother Mario, a guy who has already come to Tony’s rescue repeatedly throughout their adulthood. Despite the warnings of Mario’s wife Sophie (Thelma Ritter), Mario is won over once again by Tony’s pleas for aid, especially when Tony indicates he needs money because Ally is ill. Instead of just wiring cash, however, Mario and Sophie decide to travel to Miami to check in on their relatives, something that rather quickly exposes Tony’s unwise tactic.

It’s here that Arnold Schulman’s screenplay (adapted from Schulman’s original play) actually delivers the “threat” that Goldman rightly points out was missing from Golden Rainbow. Mario and Sophie are intelligent, well to do and perfectly capable of raising Ally in a more comfortable and secure environment. When Schulman was jettisoned from his own musical during Golden Rainbow’s pre-production period, the story was reworked to make the Eydie Gorme character the “brother,” although incredibly as the unmarried sister-in-law of Tony’s deceased wife. Since the musical offered the Gorme character as a single working woman, there really wasn’t much difference in how Ally would be raised, and the fact that the musical offered a widower and an attractive, available female only made the ultimate outcome of that iteration entirely too predictable.

A Hole in the Head actually offers Tony two radically different females, in one of the film’s more nicely nuanced plot points. Tony’s current girlfriend is the quasi-bohemian Shirl (Carolyn Jones), a sweet if not exactly maternal woman who grates on Mario and Sophie’s middle class sensibilities. They in turn set Tony up with wealthy widow Eloise (an elegant Eleanor Parker), who isn’t above confessing that she doesn’t mind the fact that her wealth makes her attractive to Tony.

As with many Capra outings, there’s a gentle sweetness to much of A Hole in the Head, along with a kind of trenchant undertone that doesn’t shirk from the smarmier aspects of Tony’s personality. It’s a rather bracing combination of sugar and vinegar, one that Capra navigates in his typically low key but assured manner. Sinatra is in top form throughout the film, and does especially well with the scene stealing Hodges. The film is well remembered for its delightful Oscar winning song “High Hopes,” a tune which instilled the unforgettable phrase “Whoops! There goes another rubber tree plant” in countless Baby Boomer minds.

A Hole in the Head Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A Hole in the Head is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.34:1. This is one of those "glass half full, glass half empty" presentations, and in fact I debated between scoring this 3.0 and 3.5, ultimately opting for the lower score despite an overall organic appearance that at least shows no signs of excessive digital intrusion. That said, the elements have an above average amount of age related wear and tear, including rather large segments of minus density and clumps of dirt, along with less intrusive anomalies like scratches. Colors have faded perceptibly, with flesh tones edging toward brown, though blues and reds are at times astoundingly vivid (see screenshot 2). Grain is quite heavy throughout this presentation. It appears this may have been sourced variously, for there's a rather wide disparity in sharpness and clarity on display throughout the presentation. There are also some minimal issues with contrast, making some darker sequences struggle to provide adequate detail.

A Hole in the Head Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Hole in the Head features a solid sounding lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix that capably supports the film's dialogue and occasional sung moments (including that iconic Oscar winning song). While just a tad shallow in the midrange, the track has no major issues to report. Fidelity is very good to excellent, and there are no problems with dropouts or other damage.

A Hole in the Head Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements on this Blu-ray disc.

A Hole in the Head Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Golden Rainbow has disappeared into that netherworld where only lovers of Broadway flops pay attention, though it did provide Sammy Davis, Jr. with one of his bigger hits from that time period, the self-realization standard "I Gotta Be Me" (a song which oddly mimics Sinatra's own more or less simultaneously released paean to oneself, "My Way"). Tony Manetta does indeed have to do it his way, and that provides A Hole in the Head with a surprising amount of emotional impact, despite the overall lightweight, gently amusing air of the film. There are some issues with the video presentation, but none threatening enough to keep this enjoyable film from coming Recommended.