20th Century-Fox: The Golden Age Musicals (1 Viewer)

[Emcee]

When thinking of classic Hollywood movie musicals, most old movie fans might think of those Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gems, but I gear towards those escapist 20th Century-Fox musical romances that cluttered theaters back in the 1940s. Alice Faye was the queen of the genre until she fell ill and left room for Betty Grable to edge her way onto the throne. June Haver was later promoted as a glamour doll version of Faye and Grable.

I love the musicals starring these three ladies. They're each different, but yet possess the same down-home wholesomeness.

Any fans?

 

[Matt Hough]

While I can enjoy the fluffy Fox musicals (my favorite: Mother Wore Tights), I have to say that the MGM brand (and some of the Paramounts, too) that have more solid storytelling and a more artistic bent to the camerawork, choreography, and production design are my preferred go-tos for musicals.

 

[Wayne_j]

MGMs were my favorites.

 

[Keith Cobby]

All the studios made some great musicals, but as this thread relates to 20th, where is The Best Things in Life Are Free?

 

[Matt Hough]

All the studios made some great musicals, but as this thread relates to 20th, where is The Best Things in Life Are Free?

I'll second that. The pan and scan DVD that we do have is an abomination.

 

[Emcee]

All the studios made some great musicals, but as this thread relates to 20th, where is The Best Things in Life Are Free?

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE (1956) has been out on DVD for sometime, but the print is shabby. The only reason I'd be compelled to watch that movie would be because of Sheree North, the actress Fox was trying to usher into replacing Monroe after she through a fit and walked out on her contract to study at the Actors Studio.

 

[Garysb]

My favorite of the Fox Musicals is "Springtime In The Rockies". Betty Grable, John Payne, Carmen Miranda, Cesar Romero, Charlotte Greenwood, Edward Everett Horton, Jackie Gleason( small part). and Harry James and his Orchestra. Good music, Beautiful Technicolor, silly story, what is not to like. Where is the blu ray?

 

[Emcee]

My favorite of the Fox Musicals is "Springtime In The Rockies". Betty Grable, John Payne, Carmen Miranda, Cesar Romero, Charlotte Greenwood, Edward Everett Horton, Jackie Gleason( small part). and Harry James and his Orchestra. Good music, Beautiful Technicolor, silly story, what is not to like. Where is the blu ray?

Betty Grable is totally under-appreciated. Few of her movies are actually on DVD. She's got a lot of attention in the archives arena, but not too much in the DVD area and absolutely none of her heyday musicals are on Blu-ray. Those cheesy, old-fashioned Technicolor delights are practically made for Blu-ray. I wish someone would get off their rocker and get them out.

I think the only Betty Grable movie on Blu-ray is HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, which is always billed under Marilyn Monroe's films when sold in today's markets.

 

[bujaki]

Please try to remember:
The Mouse ate the Fox. These titles will not see the light of day in the near future. Never say never, though, but don't hold your breath.

 

[Matt Hough]

I think the only Betty Grable movie on Blu-ray is HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, which is always billed under Marilyn Monroe's films when sold in today's markets.

Not true. Pin-Up Girl and Mother Wore Tights were both released on Blu-ray by Twilight Time.

 

[David Weicker]

Betty Grable is totally under-appreciated. Few of her movies are actually on DVD. She's got a lot of attention in the archives arena, but not too much in the DVD area and absolutely none of her heyday musicals are on Blu-ray. Those cheesy, old-fashioned Technicolor delights are practically made for Blu-ray. I wish someone would get off their rocker and get them out.

I think the only Betty Grable movie on Blu-ray is HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, which is always billed under Marilyn Monroe's films when sold in today's markets.

Mother Wore Tights and Pin Up Girl were released by Twilight Time (and are still available via EBay). Coney Island was released by Fox as part of their Archive line, but is OOP. Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend is still available.

 

[Emcee]

Not true. Pin-Up Girl and Mother Wore Tights were both released on Blu-ray by Twilight Time.

Mother Wore Tights and Pin Up Girl were released by Twilight Time (and are still available via EBay). Coney Island was released by Fox as part of their Archive line, but is OOP. Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend is still available.

I stand corrected. I need to look into getting MORE WORE TIGHTS. I've always wanted to see that one.

 

[Emcee]

I just added the Blu-ray Twilight Time edition of MOTHER WORE TIGHTS to my Amazon cart. When I get paid again, that's going to be the one thing I allow myself to order.

 

[Matt Hough]

I just added the Blu-ray Twilight Time edition of MOTHER WORE TIGHTS to my Amazon cart. When I get paid again, that's going to be the one thing I allow myself to order.

View attachment 79092​

In the meantime, if you're interested, you can read what I thought about the movie and the Blu-ray disc in my review here.

 

[Emcee]

In the meantime, if you're interested, you can read what I thought about the movie and the Blu-ray disc in my review here.

It has me intrigued. I want this movie.

 

[Emcee]

When it all comes right down to it, though, I doesn't matter where Alice Faye and Betty Grable are in my heart, I just have this fondness for June Haver. I love her films LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING, THE DAUGHTER OF ROSIE O'GRADY, LOVE NEST, and THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. She only made like sixteen films between 1943 and 1953, all for 20th Century-Fox, and all but one of them was in Technicolor.

She was brought in as a glamour girl alternative to Faye and Grable, and starred in a host of frothy wartime musicals. She appeared with Grable in THE DOLLY SISTERS, the most successful musical of 1945. Haver was so popular in the late 1940s that fan magazines doubled their sales simply by having her on the cover. Her movies were quite popular, but she decided to hang it all up in 1952 when she went to convent to become a nun. Her tenure lasted just under a year, and she returned to Fox to replace Grable in THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, which ended up being her final film.

I don't know what it is about June Haver. She is a certain magnetism and appeal that I find enduring.

 

[Richard M S]

In 2006, Fox released "The Betty Grable Collection Volume 1" with 4 of her films. I read the sales were so poor, "Volume 2" and any subsequent releases were cancelled. Indeed beyond what's been mentioned, nothing else saw the light of day beyond her terrific film noir, I Wake Up Screaming....which I'd love to see on bluray. I just re-watched it and it holds up very, very well.

 

[Emcee]

In 2006, Fox released "The Betty Grable Collection Volume 1" with 4 of her films. I read the sales were so poor, "Volume 2" and any subsequent releases were cancelled. Indeed beyond what's been mentioned, nothing else saw the light of day beyond her terrific film noir, I Wake Up Screaming....which I'd love to see on bluray. I just re-watched it and it holds up very, very well.

I was wondering why she didn't get anymore collections. It's strange considering Alice Faye got two volumes out.

Oh, I WAKE UP SCREAMING is one of my favorite old Hollywood noirs.

 

[Richard M S]

When Tower Records was closing on the Upper West Side, they had stacks of the box sets of The Betty Grable Collection Volume 1 greatly reduced. I attribute it to the fact that the only Fox musicals regularly on tv in New York City when I was growing up in the 1970'sband early 1980's were Shirley Temple musicals. Consequently I had very little exposure to the films of Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda, June Haver and Alice Faye (except for In Old Chicago.)

I do wish Disney would just license them to TCM; they are fun, colorful musicals and they'd find an appreciative audience.

(....Actually I really wish they'd send them to TCM, because after 6 + months of pandemic TCM tv watching, TCM could use some fresh inventory, but that's for another thread. )

 

[SFMike]

Now that Disney owns the Fox library we can expect all pre-70's content to be vaulted. Even a continuation of physical media is up in the air at this point.