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TCM Forbidden Hollywood Volume 3 Announced (1 Viewer)

Jon Martin

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Just got an email from Warner about the TCM Forbidden Hollywood Volume 3 being released in March.

Here are the details

TCM ARCHIVES: FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION VOLUME THREE: WILLIAM WELLMAN AT WARNER BROS.

Disc 1
Other Men's Women (1931) - This is the story of a love triangle between two burly railroad men and the one woman they both desire (Mary Astor). Jack, an engineer (Regis Toomey) and Lily's husband, is more solid and reliable. Bill (Grant Withers) is a carefree ladies' man with an irresponsible streak. Also featured in secondary roles in this melodrama are James Cagney and Joan Blondell as a wisecracking waitress. Directed with his signature virile style, Wellman balances scenes of fraying domesticity with vigorous vignettes of tough railroad life.

The Purchase Price (1932) - This film is a brisk Wellman mix of comedy and melodrama about torch singer Joan Gordon (Barbara Stanwyck), who tiring of her relationship with small-time hood Eddie Fields (Lyle Talbot), flees to North Dakota and becomes the mail-order bride of down-to-earth farmer Jim Gilson (George Brent). Their wedded bliss is threatened by Gilson's own stubbornness, a lecherous neighbor and the reappearance of Fields.

Disc 2
Frisco Jenny (1932) - Along with his films about men in dire straits, Wellman helmed a string of so-called women's pictures like this one. Ruth Chatterton plays the title role of Frisco Jenny, a woman orphaned by the 1906 earthquake who becomes the madam of a prosperous brothel. She puts her son up for adoption and as he rises to prominence as district attorney he becomes dedicated to closing down such houses. When her associate proposes killing the DA, she kills the associate and must face execution.

Midnight Mary (1933) - Working on loan-out for MGM, this crime melodrama very much in the Warner mode was based on a story by Anita Loos, about a young woman on trial for murder (Loretta Young). The story is told in flashback, as she awaits her verdict. Mary Martin recalls how her life of desperate poverty leads to involvement with gangsters. When she meets a young lawyer in a brothel, scion of a wealthy and prestigious family, he helps her turn around her life. But her past catches up with her, and she chooses to face the consequences rather than cause him scandal. By the writers of the pivotal Warner Bros. pre-code gems, Baby Face and Female.

Disc 3
Heroes for Sale (1933) - Heroes for Sale, filmed with raw, gritty immediacy by the no-nonsense Wellman, covers all the Depression-era bases, and puts the spotlight on the plight of veterans. This is the hard-hitting story of Tom Holmes (Richard Barthelmess), an unsung war hero left wounded and addicted to morphine whose struggles make him an American Everyman, a tough hero for a tough time.

Wild Boys of the Road (1933) - It's the depression, and Tom's mother has been out of work for months when Eddie's father loses his job. Not to burden their parents, the two high school sophomores decide to hop the freights and look for work. This socially conscience message film helped draw attention to wandering youths cut adrift by hard times. Frankie Darro, whose acting career stretched from the 1920s into the '70s, portrays Eddie. And the actress posing as a boy in the film is played by Dorothy Coonan, who became the real life Mrs. William Wellman.

Bonus Disc
Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick (1996) - The documentary traces Wellman's life from his birth in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1896, through his distinguished World War I career as a flier (which later got him the job of directing the classic silent film Wings), his start as a mail boy at Goldwyn, his rise to director in the 20's, his five marriages and stormy career through the 30's to late 50's, with a total filmography of more than 80 films.

The Men Who Made the Movies (William Wellman) (2007) - William Wellman, the Oscar®-winning screenwriter-director of the original A Star Is Born (1937), was called "Wild Bill" during his World War I service as an aviator, a nickname that persisted in Hollywood due to his "larger-than-life" personality and lifestyle. A leap-year baby born in 1896 on the 29th of February to a stockbroker father in Brookline, Massachusetts, Wellman was the great-great-great grandson of Francis Lewis, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. His mother, the former Cecilia McCarthy, was born in Ireland. Despite an upper-middle class upbringing, the young Wellman was a hell-raiser. He excelled as an athlete and particularly enjoyed playing ice hockey, but he also enjoyed less savory pastimes, like joy-riding in stolen cars at night.

Warner Home Video and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) partner again March 3rd to shine the spotlight on a director who, perhaps more than any other, represented the essence of Warner Bros.' films made prior to the enforcement of Hollywood's Production Code -- Oscar® winner "Wild Bill" Wellman.
TCM Archives: Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume Three: William Wellman at Warner Bros. follows the successes of Volume One and Volume Two, and will feature six classic controversial Wellman films on double-feature discs: Other Men's Women/The Purchase Price; Frisco Jenny/Midnight Mary and Heroes for Sale/Wild Boys of the Road.
Starring big headliners of the era like Barbara Stanwyck, Mary Astor, Joan Blondell, Loretta Young, James Cagney and George Brent.
Each of the films has been digitally remastered from newly-restored film elements.
Also included is a fourth bonus disc containing two insightful feature-length documentaries profiling the director, along with new commentaries, original theatrical trailers, vintage Warner Bros. shorts and cartoons of the era.
Volume Three will be available as a Collection Only for $49.92 SRP.
Additional collections currently available from Warner Home Video:
TCM Archives: Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume One
TCM Archives: Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume Two
 

Michael Elliott

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It's good to see these released but I'll be honest and say the title selections are rather poor. I've seen all of these and I must admit that stronger films are out there, although HEROES and WILD BOYS are extremely good. The other four titles are just so-so. Too bad since Warner holds so many good Young titles but I understand this set was just devoted to Wellman.
 

Charles H

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Personally, I like sets devoted to directors (look what Fox has done with Murneau, Borzage, and Ford), and Wellman is extremely underrated. I would hope that WB would bring out more Wellman films since his scope and versatility is enormous: SAFE IN HELL, SO BIG, LOVE IS A RACKET, WESTWARD THE WOMEN, THE HAPPY YEARS, THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR, ACROSS THE WIDE MISSOURI, MY MAN AND I, DARBY'S RANGERS, and LAFAYETTE ESCADRILE all reflect his amazing range across diverse genres. Wellman and Henry Hathaway are two directors that I have discovered through dvd, (I would hope that Fox would follow-up their awesome Ford and Murneau/Borzage boxsets next year with a Raoul Walsh Collection since they have access to both the beginning (WHAT PRICE GLORY?) and end (MARINES, LET GO!) of his formidable career). WB could do a great Walsh Collection also.
 

Jefty

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I'm excited about these! (although, of course, everyone has their favorites that they'd like to see included--I'm especially rarin' to see more early Harlow and Cagney things--especially Red Dust, Bombshell, Blonde Crazy and Taxi!--but I suppose those can be promoted some other way... right?)

just keep 'em comin'! (and I certainly agree that it would be great to see more director-based sets--Dieterle, King Vidor, La Cava, McCarey, Fritz Lang and Siodmak top my list--along with, frankly, more Borzage and Capra sets!)

Raoul Walsh and Michael Curtiz would be great too, but they are probably better served by star and/or theme sets
 

Richard--W

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Personally I welcome this collection of pre-code William Wellman films. I've been wanting to get to know his early 1930s work, so this is just what I've been hoping for. Let's hope it will sell aplenty and encourage TCM / WHV to releases more pre-codes by specific directors.

How about a W.S. Van Dyke collection and a Howard Hawks collection and a Mervyn Leroy collection?
 

Jefty

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yes! especially LeRoy! anything that gets They Won't Forget onto home video at long last would be most welcome!
 

Charles Ellis

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Well, once again the excellent Five Star Final (a Best Picture nominee!) was snubbed! Who makes these decisions, anyway! At least Midnight Mary (a great early Loretta Young film) will be released. Maybe FSF can be part of an Edward G. Robinson set, or one for director Mervyn LeRoy......
 

Jon Martin

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Just yesterday I got Volumes 1 & 2 from Amazon (they have them on sale for $20). Great sets. This looks to be a good one too, although I've only seen OTHER MEN'S WOMEN.
 

Michael Elliott

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THE HATCHET MAN with Robinson and Loretta Young, directed by Wellman, would have been another good one to have included. It was certainly better than some of the selections here.
 

Mike*HTF

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Very glad to hear they are continuing with this series and I especially look forward to Wild Boys of the Road!
 

Garysb

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Looking forward to this. I saw most of these films when TCM had a salute to Wellman earlier this year. With all the repackaged older films Warners is rereleasing this year its great that they are releasing more older films new to DVD.
 

jdee28

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I would love to have seen Safe in Hell in a William Wellman Pre-Code set.

Wild Boys of the Road is a fine choice; it's a great film, one of my favorite pre-codes; hard-hitting, socially concious, dealing with teens and the Depression; 1930s Warner Bros. at its best!

Midnight Mary is good too. Other Men's Women less so. I too would have liked to have seen Five Star Final.
 

Sergio A

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One can only hope for even more releases of disc sets devoted to specific actors and stars - I just re-watched the delightful AFTER THE THIN MAN (set mainly on New Year's Eve) and would love to see releases of some of the other William Powell films in which he plays a sleuth (PRIVATE DETECTIVE 62, STAR OF MIDNIGHT, THE EX-MRS BRADFORD and a remastered, non-PD, KENNEL MURDER CASE) as well as so many of his other films now controlled by WHV (like ONE WAY PASSAGE, LAWYER MAN, THE KEY et al).

The sheer volume of films being cranked out by Warners and MGM (and to a lesser extent RKO) in the 1930s certainly gives us all a lot to look forward to if these releases from WHV do well in the market place - to get a set devoted just to the pre-code film of William Wellman is a real treat - what a great start to 2009!
 

Robert Crawford

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I like "The Purchase Price" too, mainly because Barbara Stanwyck is my favorite all-time actress. Anyhow, perhaps "The Hatchet Man" will be a part of a Robinson boxset in the future.

If possible, I do like having one director or actor films in these boxsets.

Warner has enough of Robinson titles to do two boxsets. Some of his Warner titles that I like to see in boxsets are the following:
  • Five Star Final
  • Two Seconds
  • The Hatchet Man
  • Tiger Shark
  • The Man with Two Faces
  • The Last Gangster
  • Confessions of a Nazi Spy
  • Blackmail
  • A Dispatch from Reuter's
  • Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
  • The Sea Wolf
  • Manpower
  • Unholy Partners
  • Our Vines have Tender Grapes

The ones in bold are among my favorite Robinson films.





Crawdaddy
 

Jim_K

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Heroes for Sale is the only film in this set that I thought was good. The rest are rather mundane for pre-codes IMO.

Had this included Wellman's The Hatchet Man and Safe in Hell then this set would've been a must have for me.
 

Michael Elliott

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I'd certainly be interested in a Robinson box set. I haven't seen the two you mentioned above but I do have them on my DVR along with his I AM THE LAW.
 

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