A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

Berkeley Square was written as a play in three acts by John L. Balderston in 1926.

Balderston was the London correspondent for the New York Herald, and a descendent of Betsy Ross - Revolutionary War era seamstress.

Whether this fact was the basis of any part of the play I have no idea.

After a strong London run, the play came to Broadway in 1929, starring Leslie Howard, Valerie Taylor and Irene Browne, and again was met with success.

Purchased by Fox, Berkeley Square became a 1933 production that allowed the Broadway cast to bring their roles to the film, as directed by Frank Lloyd.

The NY Times considered it to be one of the best pictures of 1933.

I first became familiar with the work around 1952 or so in re-run as a re-make entitled I'll Never Forget You, a 1951 Fox production.

For whatever reason this fantasy-drama caught my attention and has stayed with me for some five decades.

Knowing the condition of the Fox nitrate elements, I was concerned about what INFY might look like, but Fox has delivered a reasonably good looking transfer of the film, in what appears to be derived from a surviving dye transfer print.

Color is quite good, along with blacks, and a modicum of shadow detail. Like all dye transfer prints of this era, the image is softer than it would be if original elements had survived.

All in all, I've very pleased to finally have this film on DVD.

To me, I'll Never Forget You is the most important film in Fox's newly minted Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection released today.

Along with it come 9 other Tyrone Power films, which equates to approximately 20% of his life's work. Many of his major productions have already been released, the majority by Fox Home Video and are all in print.

I guess things all come down to dollars however, and this is an easy one for me.

I would have been more than willing to pay $25 or more for I'll Never along.

Fox has thoughtfully priced the collection at street at $35 -- that $3.50 per film. And that is a bargain.

Other stand-outs in the collection, which runs from Mr. Power's early Girls' Dormitory (1936) through the 1951 I'll Never Forget You are This Above All directed by Anatole Litvak in 1942, and Henry Hathaway's Johnny Apollo (1940).

If you've never known about I'll Never Forget You, I'd advise reading nothing about it. No reviews. Just go into it cold. And let me know what you think.

The Tyrone Power Collection is Highly Recommended.

RAH

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

Hmmm; winging it's way to me right now, and it can't get here fast enough. Thank you Robert.

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

I got around to watching Daytime Wife last night.

A cute little movie and certainly a pleasant way to pass the evening. Looking forward to making my way through the other films in the set.

Just off topic for a moment, how incredibly gorgeous was Linda Darnell? Hard to believe she was only sixteen years old when she made the film.

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

According to the AFI Catalog BERKLEY SQUARE was "suggested" by an unpublished novel by Henry James called "The Sense of the Past." James is even quoted by Power in I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU. I had wondered whether that was the reason that the film was such a rarity.

I'm amazed at how good the whole collection is, and Power has a great gift for comedy. It's fascinating to watch a back-to back of LOVE IS NEWS and its remake THAT WONDERFUL URGE. (SWEET ROSY O'GRADY was an interim remake with Betty Grable and Robert Young). It's the equivalent of watching RED DUST and MOGAMBO and Power's gifts as a comic actor are the equal of Gable's. I also enjoyed GIRL's DORMITORY with a remarkable performance by Simon Simon. It has an unusually European resolution. And the Fox featurettes are superb!

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

Fox has created a wonderful package and I'm certain that everyone will find multiple titles of interest here.

This is a great release and adding it to a collection will support Fox's archival efforts.

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

My box shipped on Friday. Can't wait to get my hands on it!

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

I received the set on Tuesday from Amazon. I took a quick look at I'll Never Forget You, just to see the picture quality. I am less pleased with the PQ than is RAH, but I have not seen the film since my early teens, when it used to show up regularly on late shows and was a favorite of mine. I have wanted to see it again for along time, so even though it does not look a lot different than I remember it many years ago, i am grateful that it is getting released.

My wife an I watched Love is News first. I'd never seen it before, and probably would have glossed over it on TCM. We both enjoyed it as a witty little romp and the stars were all good. It was impressive to see how self-assured and mature Power was at such a young age (23-ish). I am looking forward to the rest of the set. The only films I even remember seeing before are the aforementioned I'll Never Forget You, Johnny Apollo and Luck of the Irish. At first I was disappointed that the collection contained so many films that are unknown to me. But now I am looking forward to being force-fed some films I might otherwise have ignored. We'll probably save Girl's Dormitory for last, as it is not strictly a Power film, though, again, we will probably end up being glad we watched it.

The bonus feature on Power and Loretta Young on the Love is News disc really makes me hunger for a release of Suez. I really do expect to see another Power set. It is clear that Fox still reveres their once-biggest star, and considering the individual releases we have gotten, and the two sets, I expect that more are in the offing. Bravo to Fox and their Tyrone Power releases!

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

I worked on both collections. The first one sold beyond Fox's wildest dreams so they wanted to do a second one. I, too, hope there will be a third.

Just some trivia - Daytime Wife was actually Zanuck's punishment for Tyrone marrying Annabella. Zanuck was furious and had tried to get her to go back to Europe on a three picture deal, but she wouldn't leave Power. DFZ was so angry that he had her blacklisted. One hears of Louis B. Mayer forcing his stars to get married; Zanuck was the opposite. He wanted his #1 star to be attainable in the dreams of his fans.

Being a baby boomer, I grew up with some of these films on the Late Show and Fox's primetime show, Saturday Night at the Movies. I'm always surprised at the holes people have in their knowledge of his work. Many people have only seen Witness for the Prosecution. Part of the reason is that many of the new classic film fans are as a result of Turner Classic Movies, which only owns a few of his films. Strangely, he is a strong presence on the TCM message board - and those fans are probably boomers or even older. I think his fans being underserved is one of the reasons the first boxset sold so well. Now I notice that many of his fans are as young as 13.

I hope the fact that some of these films aren't well known to a segment of the public today isn't going to keep them from buying this set. It is very well priced, and some of the movies are very good or at least fun. The reviews have been good though one review described Love is News as failed Hawks, Cafe Metropole as failed Lubitsch etc. - more a criticism of Fox, though I think both of those movies are delightful. Hollywood has always been derivative in its choice of stories.

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

Yes me too. I hope it includes a restored version of King of the Khyber Rifles, which I think is the best of the 1953 CinemaScope films, as well as Untamed, which is an under rated Henry King film that I've never seen in widescreen.

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

In "Power at Fox" on the GIRLS' DORMITORY disc there is a beautifully CinemaScoped glimpse of KING OF THE KHYBER RIFLES with Terry Moore commentating. Perhaps the third volume will be Tyrone Power: The Spectacles with LLOYDS OF LONDON, SUEZ, KING OF THE KHYBER RIFLES, UNTAMED, PONY SOLDIER, AN AMERICAN GUERILLA IN THE PHILIPPINES. A niche for LADIES IN LOVE could be found in a Loretta Young collection; THIN ICE and SECOND FIDDLE belong in a Sonia Henie collection, and DIPLOMATIC COURIER could be released in a spy thriller collection with THE IRON CURTAIN, the too long MIA FIVE FINGERS, and or THE KREMLIN LETTER. Am I leaving out any Power films?

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

So does it look like a new transfer? Maybe they've already done a new transfer of it, but have been waiting to fit it into a boxed set? I hope it comes with 4 track sound. With the distribution deal they have with MGM they may make a hybrid set with some Fox films and some MGM films like the current release of Witness for the Prosecution. The upcoming Hitchcock set includes Fox's Lifeboat as well as all the MGM owned films.

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

can't wait for this set!

I love what Fox is doing with their library!

I'm particularly looking forward to I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU (it's the kind of story I love)--and I was wondering: do you think we'll ever see a release of the original--BERKELEY SQUARE?

has anyone seen it?

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

Supposedly both I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU (a.k.a. THE HOUSE IN THE SQUARE) and BERKELEY SQUARE were mothballed because of rights issues. Have the legal problems been worked out for both, or only for the Power film? I'd like to assume both, since they're derived from the same work.

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

One can certainly hope so.

I think there is a better than average chance of the actioners being released eventually on some DVD format - they were aired on the Fox channel fairly regularly at one point.

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

Did anybody else hear a very faint echo of the soundtrack while watching 'The Luck of The Irish' (tinted version); not the music per se, but I can hear some dialogue echoing and I'm wandering if it's the disc or something to do with my setup?

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

Interesting. I've heard that DT prints don't yield good transfers because of their density.

How did they do this?

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

I'm pretty certain this is the disc; do I take the deafening silence to indicate that no-one else can hear this?

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

In a vain bid to highlight the above and get someone to tell me that the voices in my head are just that, I'll just point out that both Fox Tyrone Power Collections are on sale right now at Amazon, for $26.49 - even better, buy both and save a further $10 at the checkout...

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

I'll bump it for you, and will try to remember to give it a listen this evening.

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

Thanks John, I went with your Amazon suggestion of buying the two sets for $42.98.

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

I don't know the answer to the question, but that price is just silly. Looks like I'll have an opportunity to find out the answer in week or so.

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

I watched a few scenes in the green version and compared them with the B/W version and did not hear any echo. At times, there is a sort of lisping sound when characters pronounce the letter 'S', but I found the sound to be normal.

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

Okay David, many thanks. Quite faint on mine but there - a mystery...

Re: A few words about...™ Tyrone Power / Matinee Idol Collection

Thanks for the bargain price info, John. That's ridiculously cheap and I've just ordered the more recent set. (Already had the first one.)