Regular Price $14.98

Starring: Frank Sinatra,  Edward G. Robinson,  Eleanor Parker,  Carolyn Jones,  Thelma Ritter, 
Directed By: Frank Capra, 
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Release Date: 1959-07-15
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Format: Closed-captioned,  Color,  DVD-Video,  Letterboxed,  Subtitled,  Widescreen,  NTSC, 

Editorial Reviews and DVD Information about A Hole in the Head

Description
A Hole in the Head is a "genuinely entertaining" (Newsweek), OscarÂ(r)-winning* comedy, directed by the legendary Frank Capra at his uproarious best! Meet Tony (Frank Sinatra), a wannabe big shot who's constantly broke. And while the carefree widower may not have money, he is rich in one respect: he's got the unconditional love of his adoring young son, Ally (Eddie Hodges). But when Tony asks his wealthy brother, Mario (Edward G. Robinson), for a loan, Mario, who disapproves of Tony's swinging lifestyle, agrees to back his brother on one condition: settle down or give him custody of Ally! Tony may be desperate, but he'd have to have A Hole in the Head to agree to Mario's terms wouldn't he? *1959: Music (Song, "High Hopes")

Amazon.com
A pair of Franks make an agreeable meal in A Hole in the Head, the movie that brought together messrs. Sinatra and Capra. While Sinatra was on his movie-star hot streak, Capra had been out of film for a few years, having conquered Hollywood in the 1930s and then fallen out of love with it. Capra found in Arnold Schulman's stage play a different kind of hero from his past Mr. Deeds and Mr. Smith: a Miami hotelier with big debts, young son, wayward eye, and, well, high hopes. The role fits Sinatra like a blue-eyed glove: he dodges creditors while hoping for a handout from his disapproving older brother (Edward G. Robinson), who in turn strongly wishes his younger sibling would settle down with a nice widow (Eleanor Parker) instead of a free-spirited, bongo-playing kook (Carolyn Jones). Meanwhile, kid (Eddie Hodges, from the stage version of The Music Man) believes in his old man, to a fault.

This easygoing tale shows Capra in a mellow, cooled-off mood; the propulsive rhythm of his 1930s pictures is nowhere to be seen, and the film does go on too long. He hits his stride when Sinatra approaches an old friend (Keenan Wynn) in search of backing for his big dream, a Florida resort modeled after Disneyland. (A Disney resort in Florida? Crazy.) Those scenes, which mash up excitement, disappointment, and humiliation, are the old sweet-sour Capra formula. Of Sinatra's two Sammy Cahn-Jimmy Van Heusen tunes, "All My Tomorrows" plays under the opening credits, but wasn't the song people whistled as they exited the theater. That was "High Hopes," the irresistibly catchy hymn to optimism, sung by Sinatra and Hodges in an appealingly loosey-goosey two-shot. It won the Best Song Oscar; the other nominees never had a chance. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews for A Hole in the Head

GREAT MOVIE!
THIS TITLE IS A GREAT COMEDY FOR THE FAMILY. A SINGLE DAD, AND HIS SON TRYING TO STAY TOGETHER WHILE OTHERS AROUND THEM SEEM TO PULL THEM APART.
FROM WELL MEANING SISTER IN-LAW, GIRLFRIEND, AND BROTHER SEEKING THE BEST FOR THEM.A Hole in the Head

Oldies
Have always liked Frank Sinatra as an actor, and I think this is the one I enjoyed most.A Hole in the Head

Great movie
This is a classic from the late 50's. It has a great cast, Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Elanor Parker, Carolyn Jones, Thelma Ritter & Keenan Wynn. Directed by Frank Capra - all of them ledgends. It is very entertaining & the music is by Nelson Riddle. Cant go wrong with this one. I own less than a dozen DVDs & this is one of them.A Hole in the Head

warm and winning family classic
Sure, you can compare A HOLE IN THE HEAD with the similarly-themed "The Courtship of Eddie's Father", but director Frank Capra turns what might have been a sentimental story into one with enough rough edges to make it ring true for audiences.

Frank Sinatra stars as widower Tony Manetta, a man with big dreams and even bigger ambitions to run the most successful hotel in Miami (and trying to raise his little son Ally, played by Eddie Hodges). Tony's elder brother Mario (Edward G. Robinson), concerned about the welfare of his nephew, makes a deal with Tony. He'll back Tony's latest scheme but if it fails, he'll take custody of Ally. Tony's plans also cause complications in his lovelife, when he's caught between a free-spirited kook (Carolyn Jones) and a beautiful widow (Eleanor Parker).

A HOLE IN THE HEAD is warm-hearted without being syrupy, and the cast is absolute perfection. Eleanor Parker (with stunning red hair!) is much-appreciated and Carolyn Jones is a delightful presence too. Director Frank Capra also manages to draw out a delicate performance from Frank Sinatra; his scenes with Eddie Hodges are charming. A HOLE IN THE HEAD should earn a proud place in your classic movie collection. (Single-sided, dual-layer disc).A Hole in the Head

Frank Capra's "Hole in the Head"
I originally saw this movie as a kid and enjoyed it then. Now I find close to 50-years later that it holds up very well. I never saw a Frank Capra movie that I did not like. This was not one of his best. But it is still very enjoyable.A Hole in the Head