What's new

Warner any chance for these classic films on dvd? (1 Viewer)

Corey

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
1,412

Usually when WB includes the trailers for movies it means they're coming. After all, that's what are trailers are for. So they could already have one with Anthony Adverse, Four's A Crowd, The Male Animal, and In This Our Life. They have so many Davis titles, they don't have to put the latter in one of her sets.
 

Jefty

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
166
Real Name
David Fiore

that would make for one hell of a set!

De Havilland's role in The Male Animal is kind of bland, but the movie itself is fascinating, especially in its REALLY presscient treatment of anti-communist hysteria... Eugene Pallette: "can't find any reds, go after the pinks"..... perfect!

I love both In this Our Life and Anthony Adverse, and I've always wanted to see Four's a Crowd

+, as I'm sure is clear to all by now, The Strawberry Blonde is one of my favourite Warner films
 

Corey

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
1,412
What I am surprised about is that those silents (Greed, The Big Parade, Show People, etc.) and the Jean Harlow sets haven't been announced yet.
 

Corey

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
1,412

I can tell it's one of your faves. It's the first one on your most wanted list. I'll be happy to take some Rita Hayworth wherever I can get her.
 

Jefty

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
166
Real Name
David Fiore

it's true--the Harlow set is a definite must... I'm ready any time Warners is!
 

Jefty

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
166
Real Name
David Fiore

the funny thing is that I had gotten cocky and taken it off of the list when I first began to read about the Cagney set, figuring that it would, of course, be one of the key items... but, again, if they're saving it as a draw for a De Havilland set, that's okay by me!

Hayworth does a great job in her role as Virginia Brush (too bad Warners doesn't own enough of her films to make a signature collection feasible)--she could easily have played the character two-dimensionally, but she (with the assistance of Raoul Walsh) really opens up the characterization in the later stages of the film... There are so many great performances in The Strawberry Blonde--Jack Carson's definitive heel, Alan Hale's definitive lovable roughneck, De Havilland's ultimate role at Warner Bros (despite the shaky gender politics which undergird it), George Tobias' best best-friend role (although he's even better as Rosario in Torrid Zone), and maybe Cagney's most complex role too--it's a shining example of what made Warner Brothers films of the 1930s/40s go... all dynamism, all the time!
 

Corey

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
1,412
WB isn't releasing any classic films this Oscar season?? They have every year and they still have some winners not on dvd: The Divorcee, Min and Bill, A Free Soul, Morning Glory, The Sin of Madelon Claudet, The Story of Louis Pasteur, and The Farmer's Daughter.
 

Jefty

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
166
Real Name
David Fiore

I'm impressed with them too (that should go without saying! In the past year, after I finally decided to give up on my crumbling VHS collection, I've spent more than 30% of my income on Warner box sets)--but I don't see what possible harm there could be in doing a little good-natured agitating!

Everyone ought to speak out about exactly which films they want to see, the better to give the intelligent and sensitive people at Warners a chance to gauge the mood of the public. I hate war movies and westerns, but I don't expect fans of those kinds of films not to vote in their favour (in fact, I assume that they HAVE been doing so--for exhibit A, see the Stewart set, which I did NOT buy... I would've liked to see a collection of late-thirties dramas and comedies, i.e. the unreleased Margaret Sullavan films, Of Human Hearts, etc. but I know I'd be outvoted there)

As for the behind-the-scenes factors that you discuss... Of course, there's always the possibility that the things that fans want aren't technically possible at this moment, but I'd say it's our duty (on messageboards, I mean), in the interests of keeping the field as wide-open as possible, to assume that the film could be released (unless we receive definite information to the contrary). Don't you think?

By the way--I love your idea for a One Sunday Afternoon set (I like the musical remake pretty well, and I've always wanted to see the Cooper version)
 

Corey

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
1,412

I hate westerns too. No John Wayne, Sam Peckingpah, or John Ford sets for me. Like you, I was expecting Jimmy Stewart films like Shopworn Angel, The Mortal Storm, Come Live With Me, or even better Ice Follies of 1939 :).
 

Jefty

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
166
Real Name
David Fiore

speaking of Morning Glory--

this is definitely an area that demands increased focus--the Hepburn RKOs! There are one or two splendid boxed sets right there!

Sure, we've got Alice Adams, Stage Door, and Little Women (although it appears to be out of print), and Mary of Scotland (because of John Ford's rabid fans)

however:
MG, The Little Minister, Sylvia Scarlett, A Bill of Divorcement, Spitfire, Break of Hearts, A Woman Rebels, Quality Street, Christopher Strong...... none of them released. Those are important films!
 

Roger Rollins

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jun 19, 2001
Messages
931

LITTLE WOMEN (1933) is most definitely NOT out of print!

Unfortunately, AMAZON thinks it is, but Barnes & Noble, Deep Discount DVD, DVD Empire, and Movies Unlimited all show it as active.

Also, if A BILL OF DIVORCEMENT gets to DVD, it will have to be from MGM, at least for the next few years, since MGM's licensed Disney's ABC FILMS library, of which the Selznick library is a part. Selznick bought A BILL OF DIVORCEMENT back from RKO at some point in the '40s, I believe.
 

Matt Hough

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2006
Messages
26,152
Location
Charlotte, NC
Real Name
Matt Hough
I would be VERY surprised if there isn't a Katharine Hepburn box coming somewhere in our future. There are some lesser Tracy-Hepburn MGM films not yet released. We have her RKO vehicles that deserve a look. We have some MGM films without Tracy (like UNDERCURRENT) that haven't been released either. There's plenty there for several boxes.
 

Corey

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
1,412

Man and that's one of the key titles I was hoping that WB would release when in fact they do release a Hepburn set. Anywho, they need to do a Hepburn and Tracy Vol. 2 with Keeper of the Flame, Without Love, and Sea of Grass or package it together with Vol 1 in the thin keepcases.
 

Corey

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
1,412

1 set:
-Morning Glory
-Undercurrent
-Song of Love
-Sylvia Scarlett
-A Woman Rebels
-The Little Minister

2nd Set (flops)
-Christopher Strong
-Break of Hearts
-Dragon Seed
-Quality Street
-Spitfire
 

Charles H

Screenwriter
Joined
Jan 7, 2004
Messages
1,526
Raoul Walsh also directed the musical remake of his STRAWBERRY BLONDE, and THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER is owned by Tom Cruise also via Fox/Sony/MGM/ABC/David Selznick. I'd love to see a Henry Fonda Collection via WB: THE MAD MISS MANTON, THE BIG STREET, THE MALE ANIMAL, THE FUGITIVE, THE ROUNDERS, WELCOME TO HARD TIMES, A BIG HAND FOR A LITTLE LADY. Much like Stewart, Fonda's career demonstrated an enormous range of genres, moods, styles, directors during his 45 years in films. He (and Stewart) mandate a definitive TCM documentary/appreciation of feature length proportions a la the Turner-Garbo-Davis-Grant-Flynn type.
 

Greg_M

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 23, 2000
Messages
1,189
FANNY (1961) Five Academy Award Nominations including:

Best Picture
Best Actor
Best cinematography
Best Score
Best Editing
 

Corey

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
1,412
In the excpetion to Doris Day, WB keeps announcing sets for the male stars. 2006 was primarily dominated with sets devoted to them and I wish they would announce some female sets we REALLY want: Joan Crawford Vol 2, Bette Davis Vol 3, Esther Williams :), Jean Harlow, Natalie Wood, and Loy & Powell.

Would anybody else like to have a Dawn of Sound Collection, like WB previosly released on LD with The Show of Shows, The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (with 2 strip Technicolor sequences), Sally, Madame X, The Last of Mrs. Cheney (double feature 1928/1937), Golden Dawn, and They Learned About Women??
 

Corey

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
1,412

I'm sure The Mad Miss Manton will be in a Stanwyck set probably not till 2008 though.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,815
Messages
5,123,819
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top