A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection (1 Viewer)

[RafaelPires]

I have pre ordered the set and it has already been shiped. but since I live in South America, I'll have to wait more 20 days for the dvds to arrive.

I'm another one worried about Mr. Harris's comments. I really hope WB is not having trouble with classic dvds sales. I give all the support I can to WB buying all the boxes sets they release, even when there are some titles I'm not interested in.

Hopefully those wonderful gems will keep coming.

 

[Corey]

Don't worry, I'll be be buying past sets that I haven't been able to get: Loy & Powell, Film Noir 4, and the Shakespeare collection.

 

[BethHarrison]

Mickey and Judy is on my list. But in the last few weeks I have purchased (and watched many) of the following;

The Gangsters Collection
Film Noir V
The Tough Guys Collection
Joan Crawford
Controversial Classics 1
Ronald Reagan
Loy and Powell Collection
John Wayne Film Collection
John Wayne/John Ford
James Cagney

As well as several fox film noir and studio classics DVDs I have ordered.

I just can't get enough and I hope support for the Hollywood of old is strong enough so that that the magic of yesteryear can be continually sent to us on DVD.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my classic film splurge. It has been an absolute pleasure.

I think people tend to focus more on Warner relleases because they have been the most consistent. Though Fox has been wonderful as well. Perhaps we have come to expect to much!

 

[JPCinema]

I was disaapointed to see in the Judy Garland Songbook that "Born in a Trunk" from A STAR IS BORN is pan and scan. Otherwise the boxset is wonderful!

 

[CineKarine]

The set is #75 on Amazon list of top DVD sellers right now (and #2 in classics)

 

[Eric Peterson]

I went out of my way to pick up a set last night at Deep Discount, but their shipment had not yet arrived! I was so disappointed. Off to Amazon.

 

[Arnie G]

I ordered this last night

 

[Rob_Ray]

Well, I'm as big a fan of proper aspect ratios as anybody, but I think they very purposefully made the correct choice here. The "Born in a Trunk" sequence bookends the entire Judy-at-MGM retrospective and consists solely of Judy's singing "Born in a Trunk" before the clips and her reprise of the song at the retrospective's conclusion. The shots in question all contain just Judy with an empty stage on either side. Since ALL the other clips are from the Academy-ratio era and since the retrospective is all about Judy's singing, to crop the CinemaScope frame to focus just on Judy is not only fine but a valid artistic choice in its own right. I guess what I'm saying is, the Born in a Trunk clip should not be treated as a segment from a CinemaScope film so much as raw film of Judy recapsulating her career in an autobiographical way. And to shift to CinemaScope for that one shot would somehow diminish the effect they were going for by reducing Judy to a smaller portion of the screen at the precise point of her powerhouse finale.

Now, if they were to release "A Star is Born" in a pan and scan only DVD I'd be screaming bloody murder.

I sampled the set last night and was thrilled by the care that went into it. BTW, to not buy this set (or any set for that matter) simply because you don't like the packaging seems rather silly to me. I don't like the packaging either, but it's the discs themselves that I really care about.

 

[Garysb]

Are the Garland songs included in the songbook sectioncomplete? Are there any songs included from movies that are not yet on DVD or included in any of the That's Entertainment films? In other words songs that are making their DVD debut.

 

[ScottHM]

And it seems rather silly to me to put DVDs into packaging that overlaps the discs.

I don't see the necessity of calling people 'silly' for voting with their pocketbooks. There are some sets I don't have to own, and the detraction of poor packaging pushes me away rather than attracts me. That's why (with the exception of the William Powell/Myrna Loy Collection) I've decided to stay away from the TCM Spotlight series.

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[Wayne_j]

I'm watching them now. They all seem complete to me. I believe that this is the first time some of these numbers have been available in full on DVD. I think most but not all of them made appearances as snippets in the That's Entertainment movies.

 

[Arnie G]

As a movie lover, I'd buy a movie that I really wanted if it came in a paper bag. That's why not buying a title because of less than perfect packaging may seem silly to some.

 

[Ruz-El]

I'm with Arnie. there's always complaints about the over lapping discs, but I'm yet to have any issues, and it's not like you can't exchange the DVDs if there are.

 

[ScottHM]

I've already bought more DVDs than I have time to watch as it is.

If you like the paper bag approach then that's OK with me. I'll pass.

By the way, I have ordered this collection, so I don't absolutely refuse to purchase movies in terrible packaging, I just don't buy movies I have casual interest in, that I might otherwise purchase in a slow month.

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[Wayne_j]

I'll add that this is the best constructed set with overlapping discs that I have seen. Everything about this set screams class to me.

 

[Charles Ellis]

Is anyone out there??? What are the songs in the Songbook? Give us a complete listing!!!!!

 

[Wayne_j]

1. Introduction and Born in a Trunk from A Star is Born
2. Americana from Every Sunday
3. Everybody Sing from Broadway Melody of 38
4. Got a Pair of New Shoes from Thoroughbreds Don't Cry
5. Swing Mr. Mendelssohn from Everybody Sing
6. Down on Melody Farm from Everybody Sing
7. It Never Rains But It Pours from Love Finds Andy Hardy
8. Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart from Listen, Darling
9. A Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow from Little Nellie Kelly
10. Singin' in the Rain from Little Nellie Kelly
11. After You've Gone from For Me and My Girl
12. The Joint Is Really Jumpin' Down at Carnegie Hall from Thousands Cheer
13. Where There's Music Finale from Presenting Lily Mars
14. The Boy Next Door from Meet Me in St. Louis
15. The Trolley Song from Meet Me in St. Louis
16. The Interview from Ziegfeld Follies
17. On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe from The Harvey Girls
18. Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey from In the Good Old Summertime
19. I Don't Care from In the Good Old Summertime
20. Friendly Star from Summer Stock
21. Get Happy from Summer Stock
22. Born in A Trunk from A Star Is Born

 

[Steve...O]

Thanks to RAH for his comments.

The packaging of this set is absolutely wonderful and first class all the way. No reasonable person who has actually seen it should complain about it. How WHV was able to offer 5 discs, a hard cover book, and 20 good sized stills for such a low price is beyond me but I'm more than happy to continue supporting their product.

Like others on this thread, I am not normally a musicals buff. It took WHV's wonderful DVDs of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS and SINGING IN THE RAIN to show me what I've been missing. Last evening my wife and I watched BABES IN ARMS and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've seen bits and pieces on TV and this DVD is much, much better looking. If this is, as RAH suggests, the worst of the bunch in terms of what was available, WHV has worked a minor miracle with this presentation.

Obtaining the services of now 87 year old Mickey Rooney to do the introductions is icing on the cake. Yes, he's hammy as all get out, but there's no denying that he's a legend and an entertaining one at that not to mention that he's one of the relatively few remaining living and lucid links to this era of filmmaking.

For those looking for this set in a B&M, Sam's Club will sell you a copy for $34 and change. This is indeed an essential purchase and I thank WHV for bringing it to market.

Steve

 

[Charles Ellis]

So that's the list, eh? "Over The Rainbow" isn't there, neither is "Minnie From Trinidad" from Ziegfeld Girl, or "The Man That Got Away"(!), or "Better Luck Next Time" from Easter Parade. Include those with the rest and you can sell it as a separate DVD. Also, I'd like to see similar discs for Fred Astaire and Frank Sinatra- two of the best vocalists MGM had. Perhaps once Warner Bros. remasters the Mario Lanza and MacDonald/Eddy films, maybe can Songbook discs can be done for them too.

 

[Eric Peterson]

I could not back these comments more strongly. This is one of the most amazing sets that WB has yet released in regards to the physical content. I am more than blown away by it. I can't wait to get home and watch it. The only problem is that my Cubbies are fighting for a playoff spot tonight, so I have my priorities.