seriously, where is Norma Shearer & Joan Crawford????? (1 Viewer)

[Junior_V]

I can't stand it any more!
Why only 2 Shearer films on DVD????? come on Warner!!

And why only 1 Crawford movie this year? there are so many of her movies that should be on DVD before those B movie noirs

Shearer:

Lady of the Night
After Midnight
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929)
The Divorcee
Let Us Be Gay
Strangers May Kiss
A Free Soul
Private Lives
Smilin' Through
Strange Interlude
Riptide
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
Romeo and Juliet
Idiot's Delight
Escape
We Were Dancing
Her Cardboard Lover

Crawford:

The Taxi Dancer
Twelve Miles Out
West Point
Across to Singapore
Our Dancing Daughters
Our Modern Maidens
Untamed
Our Blushing Brides
Paid (PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE release it)
Dance, Fools, Dance
Laughing Sinners
This Modern Age
Possessed
Letty Lynton
Today We Live
Sadie McKee
Chained
Forsaking All Others
No More Ladies
I Live My Life
The Gorgeous Hussy
Love on the Run
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937)
The Bride Wore Red
Mannequin
The Shining Hour
Strange Cargo
Susan and God
A Woman's Face
When Ladies Meet
Reunion in France
Above Suspicion
Flamingo Road
Goodbye, My Fancy
This Woman Is Dangerous
Torch Song

 

[Irina]

Yes, it's pretty amazing - considering that Norma Shearer was as famous as Greta Garbo. Well - Greta Garbo collection was finally released last year to commemorate her 100 birthday anniversary. Maybe it will take another generation to get Norma Shearer name known to the wide audience.

 

[WadeM]

Possessed was already released as part of Warner's Joan Crawford Collection last year. I just looked on Amazon real quick and saw that Smilin' Through is available as NTSC R1 import from Brazil, supposedly in high quality, factory sealed.

 

[Junior_V]

Crawford did 2 movies called Possessed. one in th 30s and one in the 40s

 

[RafaelPires]

I am looking forward for Joan Crawford's next box set, due next year. Though WB confirmed Flamingo Road as one of the titles that will be in it, the others are only speculation.

If I could choose, I would pick A Woman's Face, Strange Cargo, Mannequin and the Shining Hour to complete the box.
In fact, I want most the pictures she did for MGM in the 30's and early 40's, specially her pairings with Gable and When Ladie's meet, Sadie McKee, No More Ladies.

As for Shearer's work is really a pity we have only 2 of her movies on dvd.
If WB ever release a box set of hers, I would like it to have The Divorcee, A Free Soul, The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Romeo and Juliet and Idiot's Delight .

 

[Matt Hough]

Besides THE WOMEN, what other Shearer picture do we have? Are you counting MARIE ANTOINETTE which is coming soon? If not, what's the other?

It's been mentioned in a couple of other threads that there are several Shearer classics which should ALREADY be out. Maybe in 2007.

And let's not forget that both Shearer and Crawford appeared in HOLLYWOOD REVUE of 1929 which would also be a great novelty for folks to see. I cherish my laserdisc of it.

 

[Irina]

Stolen Jools was another short Norma Shearer feature included on Gary Cooper Classics (Fighting Caravans, A Farewell to Arms, Meet John Doe, Stolen Jools) DVD.

 

[Will Krupp]

Wow...I have to say I completely missed the notice that MARIE ANTOINETTE is coming out in October. I'm so excited about it.

I wondered why Junior didn't mention it in his initial post and now I know. When was this announced? I wonder if it will have the long unseen (or rather, unheard) overture and entr'acte from the roadshow version.

GREAT news, I've been waiting for this one for a long time.

We definitely need more Crawfords. Maybe they could release some of the 1930's era vehicles as double features as they did on laser disc.

 

[Robert Harris]

the major problem may be that as most young people have no idea who Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman were, Norma Shearer falls so far below the radar that she has little commercial value.

Douglas Shearer is another story.

RAH

 

[Corey]

i hope WB checks out the TCM website to use that for their decision in releasing the Crawford movies cause the 3 most wanted ones are Letty Lynton (in legal dispute), Sadie McKee, A Woman's Face, and Strange Cargo.

Since we Won't be getting Letty Lynton, I'd like Susan and God.

 

[Steve...O]

I have no idea who Douglas Shearer is, which is probably a good thing.

Mr. Harris is quite right about the lack of name recognition that Miss Shearer has. Regarding Miss Crawford, an entire generation or two knows her only as the NO MORE WIRE HANGERS lady who was the other ogre in Baby Jane.

Should more of their films be on DVD? Absolutely. Warners was asked about Miss Shearer at the last chat, and they responded that most of her films needed restoration work. All we can do is support the releases that do come out and keep those requests going to WHV.

Steve

 

[Corey]

Douglas Shearer was Norma's older brother who was a pioneer sound designer and director who played a key role in the advancement of sound technology for motion pictures. He was nominated 21 times for Academy Awards in the Sound and Special Effects and won several times. In 1955, he was appointed MGM's director of technical research and by the time he retired in 1968 he had won an additional seven Scientific or Technical Academy Awards.

 

[ReggieW]

I have been shocked by the lack of notoriety among many young people (meaning under 40) regarding classic stars. I had someone ask me a few months ago about a famous George Hurrell image I have hanging in my bedroom.."who's Jean Harlow?" he asked. JEAN HARLOW!?! If they don't know who she is, then other lesser known greats like Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Ann Sheridan, Myrna Loy, Mary Pickford, etc, are likely to be met with the same response. It's really sad when you have to reference Jean Harlow as "the classic star played by Gwen Stefani in The Aviator" to register any recognition.

Sad.

 

[Steve...O]

Thanks Corey! Given Mr. Harris' sense of humor, I had assumed that Mr. Shearer was a product of today's pop culture that I'm all too happy to tune out. If I admit to knowing who Harry Shearer is, does that count?

 

[Corey]

Well add me as one of the minority of the under 40 crowd who loves the classics. i'm 19 and have been in love with classic Hollywood since I was 7 or 8.

 

[Eric Peterson]

I could not agree more. Last week, I mentioned Judy Garland to somebody and they stared at me like a dog being shown a card trick. I understand that most people are not huge film buffs, but there are certain names that should be common to all people and I certainly thought that Garland fell into that group. I often throw out the names of Buster Keaton, Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks, etc... and I almost always get the same confused look. These are names that I've known for nearly my entire life, and it absolutely baffles me that others are not as familiar with these names.

I knew the name Charlie Chaplin for years before I ever saw one of his movies, so the excuse that "I have not seen any of his movies" does not work with me. That is akin to not knowing the name of the vice-president because you are not interested in politics.

You mention using the Jean Harlow reference from "The Aviator", and it is ironic because I used the same reference for Ava Gardner last week. I am in the middle of reading her new biography and several people questioned me as to who she was and I used the same frame of reference.

By the way, I'm reasonably young myself - 34

 

[ReggieW]

Corey -

Thanks for the plug on Doug Shearer. I did know who he was btw, heck, every MGM film up through the mid 50's had his name listed in the credits as sound engineer. He does look A LOT like his sis though - just look at the eyes!

I agree with Eric. I am 35 and work in the industry in Burbank, CA (not at liberty to say where), so I usually expect people to be a little more learned when it comes to their own industry history. Generally speaking, folks seem to not really care and simply look at it as a job and nothing more. I actually had someone I work with tell me "I hate old movies." Go figure.

You just made my point Eric. I would expect young people to be more familiar with Judy Garland than either Ava Gardner or Jean Harlow, but there you have it...we're talking about "Dorothy" from the Wizard of Oz here!

Back on topic -

I think Warner will be delivering another Crawford boxset in 2007. It is disappointing that they skipped 2006 for her, but did release volume 2 for Bette Davis. Warner has enough Crawford films to consistently release a new boxset at least every year for her. There should be a Norma Shearer boxset, but of all of the major stars we've mentioned here, she is probably the one that time as been the least kind too. She was more famous than Harlow and Dietrich in the early 1930's (being married to Thalberg probably helped though) and was ranked with Garbo in boxoffice returns. It's telling that Warner doesn't even think she warrants her own boxset today. That's tragic. I am still waiting for the Jean Harlow boxset from them which was supposed to have been out by the end of 2006, but I'm betting we won't see it until sometime next year.

 

[Junior_V]

I hope there is gonna be a "TCM Archives" on the Crawford box with Our Dancing Daughters,Our Modern Maidens,Our Blushing Brides

 

[Matt Hough]

EVen if people didn't know Norma Shearer by name, she did make some fantastic movies. One would hope if people bought and enjoyed THE WOMEN, they'd be interested in seeing other movies featuring the same lady. Let them be able to see THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET or A FREE SOUL.

Maybe MARIE ANTOINETTE will prove the one that wakes people up to who she was.

 

[Andrew Budgell]

I'm 20, and also love classic films. I guess it all started with Judy Garland movies after I saw The Wizard of Oz when I was 5. So thankfully we're not all oblivious to the classics.

Andy http://www.dameelizabethtaylor.com