‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ Blu-Ray Review – Stars Come Together To Support The Troops With Breezy Fun

This breezy, behind-the-Hollywood-scenes story about young talents hoping for a big break glitters with specialty numbers featuring Golden Era greats. Highlights include Humphrey Bogart being out-tough-guyed and Bette Davis performing a witty, wry jitterbug.

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Video Quality

Warner Archive brought Thank Your Lucky Stars to Blu-Ray with a striking 1080p master transfer in 1.37:1 when it was released in 2015 from an HD master from an unknown source. We are always impressed with the way the label handles black-and-white features, and this transfer is a true joy to behold. Highlights stay strong throughout the journey and black levels are primarily deep and stable. The retention of the natural film grain allows the picture to thrive without major intrusions or source-related anomalies. The film is a beauty with no serious instances of damage or dirt detected here. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such issues do not emerge as an issue in this transfer. The frame is replete with detail and clarity that you can observe for texture on every background element. Warner Archive put forth a strong early effort here. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio split mono track that executes this musical quite deftly. Dialogue comes through clearly with no elements stealing focus from important exchanges. The more bustling moments are handled well and give the track a bit of personality. Musical moments are the standout element, and the numbers hold up with unwavering fidelity even in the upper registers. There is no significant age-related wear and tear to the track such as hissing, dropouts, or popping for a clean listening experience. Warner Archive has provided a rock-solid disc. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.

Special Features

• Falling Hare: A nearly nine-minute Merrie Melodies short in which Bugs Bunny gets involved in the war effort when he witnesses sabotage. 

• Little Red Riding Rabbit: A seven-minute Merrie Melodies short in which Little Red Riding Hood and the Wold get their dynamic upended by Bugs Bunny. 

• Food and Magic: A nearly ten-minute wartime PSA that urges viewers not to waste food.

• Three Cheers For The Girls: A nearly 17-minute tribute to the chorus girls that dazzle on screen. 

• The United States Army Band: A nearly nine-minute medley of songs accompanying training footage. 

• Vintage Newsreel (Silent): A three-minute piece on the Hollywood Canteen. 

• Trailers

• • Thank Your Lucky Stars (2:15)

• • Watch On The Rhine (2:13)

• The Screen Guild Theater Radio Broadcast: A 30-minute radio broadcast featuring Eddie Cantor, Dennis Morgan, and Joan Leslie. 

Final Thoughts

Thank Your Lucky Stars is pretty flimsy as an overall story, but it more than serves its purpose as a way to get a bevy of talent on screen for small bursts of creativity. If you are a fan of any of the advertised stars, it is worth seeking out to see how they fit into this story, but do not go in expecting the best work of anyone involved. This was a way for big Hollywood talent to support the war efforts while not getting too far outside of their comfort zone. It is a fascinating time capsule. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a worthwhile A/V presentation and some cool special features. If you generally enjoy this style of musical revue, this works well enough. Recommended 

Thank Your Lucky Stars can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.