Underrepresented Ladies (1 Viewer)

[dana martin]

Soapbox aside, the studios are doing a decent job or releasing lots of classics, and not so classics on blu, not bad for a format that is supposedly dead. But, one nagging thought remains, where the hell are the women, granted there have been some great releases, but large and important films from Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers have yet to see more than a few titles spread across the formats life.

Even more infuriating is the fact that a handful of classic screen icons, have virtually gone either completely unreleased, unnoticed or have only one title that has been released.

Directed at Universal here, with all the wonderful restorations, that has yielded, the Monster sets and Marx Brothers, did anyone take a look at the back catalogue of Mae West, or Carole Lombard, hell Marlene Dietrich for that matter?

Warner Archive, yes i say the archive, because that are the ones handling back catalogue titles, Any possibility that we will be seeing Jean Harlow or Ginger Rogers?, More Bette Davis?

Paramount, Grace Kelly's The Country Girl; Audrey Hepburn's Roman Holiday: Elizabeth Taylor's A Place In the Sun? why am i even asking, sadly i think Paramount at this point is a lost cause, worth fighting for, but still a lost cause.

Granted we all have favorites, i am not playing favorites with this, as i am certain that we could have a wishlist of titles fill up the next three pages, and that is not what i was trying to do, i was simply trying to open a dialogue about what is very noticeably absent.

And well it's pretty silent on the silent home front as well, Lilian Gish, and Mary Pickford, the Pickford films, would have to go through The Pickford Foundation, i believe. But the Gish films The Scarlet Letter (1926), and The Wind (1928) should be with Warner Archive.

I would be happy just to see some of these wonderful actresses get their time in the spotlight again in glorious 1080p is all.

Hopefully others will sound off about this as well

 

[Matt Hough]

I think most of the Harlow films, for example, need a lot of work on them. With such a sterling cast of greats, I'm surprised Dinner at Eight hasn't made it to Blu-ray, but maybe the other big star classic Grand Hotel didn't sell well on Blu, and Warners isn't willing to try another one. But one would think Criterion would be interested, even if Warner Archive isn't.

I certainly agree that these great ladies of the screen have not gotten their due on Blu-ray. In the case of Davis especially, only her 1950 onward period has received much attention. Her Warner golden age classics, apart from The Petrified Forest and Dark Victory, have gone virtually ignored. And since we're talking Universal, I'd like to put in a word for Deanna Durbin who has a slew of delightful films to her credit. Maybe most of them aren't time-worn classics, but they are deeply enjoyable. Sadly, the audiences who even know who she was are certainly aging out of consideration.

 

[Thomas T]

Old movie actresses don't sell.The market for these ladies are aging baby boomers (and let's face it, we all have one foot in the grave at this stage) and is there really a blu ray market for Betty Grable, Deanna Durbin, Marlene Dietrich or Ginger Rogers (outside of her Astaire films)? I think not. When a photo of Jean Harlow is shown on Jeopardy! and a trio of millennials are asked to identify her but they stare at her blankly and no one rings in, it's clear our icons are slipping. Maybe if these films were in pristine condition and ready for HD but the money needed to restore them to make them acceptable for HD isn't worth the return on the investment. Hell, even on the HTF I'd bet you there would be more excitement over a Chuck Norris or Steven Seagal blu ray box set than a Carole Lombard or Barbara Stanwyck blu ray box set.

 

[LeoA]

I think there's just as much a market for something like Kitty Foyle as there is for the films where she co-starred with Fred Astaire.

Many a Ginger Rogers fan loves her films like Bachelor Mother and Tender Comrade, and it's the same Ginger Rogers fans that are going to buying her musicals.

I won't say that my opinion is the dominant one, but I actually prefer her comedies and dramas of the 1940's to her 1930's musicals where she first established her fame.

 

[Robin9]

As Universal and Paramount titles are rarely released on Blu-ray disc, it's not surprising that their great female stars like Maria Montez, Deanna Durbin, Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard and Claudette Colbert get short shrift.

It is surprising that Sony does not release more Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak on Blu-ray disc.

The most lamentable absence of all is of the big female stars from Warners and MGM. It has been apparent for some time that the people in charge of the Warner Archive Blu-ray project have no real enthusiasm for the great divas. Major box office stars like Bette Davis, Lana Turner, Esther Williams, Ava Gardner, Greer Garson and to some extent even Elizabeth Taylor are not given due respect. The one exception is Cyd Charisse, and that of course is because she appeared in musicals. (As an impassioned Cyd Charisse devotee, I'm delighted by that exception. I'm hoping that Party Girl and Meet Me In Las Vegas come out on Blu-ray disc)

 

[Bert Greene]

Gee, if you think it's bad for fans of those top-level female stars, consider how rough it is for folks like me, whose favorites are comprised of so many 2nd and 3rd-tier gals.... all those names like Nan Grey, Frances Dee, Mae Clarke, Lois Collier, Evelyn Venable, Jean Rogers, Marjorie Weaver, Mala Powers, Phyllis Brooks, Helen Mack, Jean Parker, Frances Gifford, and probably over two dozen others. Talk about a barren Blu-ray landscape.

There was a reason I didn't even purchase a Blu-ray player until about a year ago. It took the announcements of items like "Deluge," "Daredevils of the Red Circle," and the silent "Wagon Tracks" to finally push me into the format.

 

[ScottHM]

I'm way past ready for Random Harvest, Pride and Prejudice, Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Lady Eve, Meet John Doe, Ball of Fire, Stella Dallas, Roman Holiday, The Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, Swing Time, Bachelor Mother, Kitty Foyle, The Thin Man, I Love You Again, Love Crazy, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, Libeled Lady, Bringing Up Baby, Stage Door, Adam's Rib, The Smiling Lieutenant, Midnight, Now, Voyager, The Letter, The Awful Truth, Destry Rides Again, etc., etc., etc. to be released on Blu-ray. It's a sad state of affairs when you have to beg companies to sell things to you.

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[Rob W]

Milestone released a Mary Pickford blu-ray set with four features a few years ago, but their license with the Pickford Foundation has now expired.

 

[dana martin]

Milestone released a Mary Pickford blu-ray set with four features a few years ago, but their license with the Pickford Foundation has now expired.

I know, I have it, actually I was one of the many that were preordering in the hopes of spurring on a second set. As for the set the presentation of Sparrows is stellar, the other titles are all joys to watch.


allow me to share some correspondences that are two years old

Good morning,

After the wonderful release of the last Mary Pickford collection done in collaboration with Milestone for Blu Ray HD, I was wondering if any thought had been given to release any more of her films in that format , I see that an new restoration of My Best Girl has been completed. This being one of her very best films does need to be seen by a new generation, for the treasures that they are, two other films that I see of this importance are Tess of the Storm Country and Daddy Long Legs. Any information that you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You for your time and consideration in this matter.

Respectfully,

Dana L Martin


and the reply back:

Dear Dana Martin,

Thank you for contacting the Mary Pickford Foundation and for your interest in Mary Pickford.

I'm glad you have enjoyed the Milestone Rags and Riches collection, and to answer your question: Yes, we have given a great deal of thought to releasing more of Mary's films on DVD. In order to prepare them for release, we have been focusing on preserving, restoring, remastering (and in many cases re-scoring) the films, which is a time-consuming but necessary first step.

Thank you for your patience, and as soon as we have any details to share about the next DVD release, we will announce it on our site (marypickford.org) and our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MaryPickfordOfficial). So stay tuned!

Sincerely,

Sloan De Forest
Production Manager
Mary Pickford Foundation
[email protected]

so there is always hope

 

[Keith Cobby]

Virginia Mayo, Vera-Ellen, and Rhonda Fleming are underrepresented. Virginia Mayo's films with Danny Kaye, particularly The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Vera-Ellen's films with Fred Astaire (Three Little Words, The Belle of New York). Slightly Scarlet.

 

[ScottHM]

I can't keep up with every Blu-ray that's been released, but it seems to me that everyone on this list has no more than a couple of movies on Blu-ray, and some have none as far as I can tell.

Joan Blondell
Marion Davies
Marlene Dietrich
Irene Dunne
Geraldine Fitzgerald
Kay Francis
Greta Garbo
Greer Garson
Paulette Goddard
Jean Harlow
Katharine Hepburn
Miriam Hopkins
Carole Lombard
Myrna Loy
Jeanette MacDonald
Merle Oberon
Marueen O'Sullivan
Rosalind Russell
Norma Shearer
Ann Sheridan
Sylvia Sidney
Claire Trevor
Loretta Young​

The studios could easily sell me 150+ Blu-rays just by releasing quality product starring these ladies.

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