Press Release Warner Archive Collection Announcement: Saratoga (1937) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

Coming to Blu-ray September 26th!

New 2023 1080pHD Master from 4K Scan of Preservation Elements!

SARATOGA (1937)
Run Time: 93 Minutes
Subtitles: ENGLISH SDH
Audio Specs: DTS HD-MA 2.0 Mono
Aspect Ratio 16x9 1.37:1 with side mattes
Product color: B&W
Disc Configuration-BD 50

Special Features: THE ROMANCE OF CELLULOID (1937) (HD), Original Theatrical Trailer

Cast: Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Lionel Barrymore, Frank Morgan, Walter Pidgeon

Clark Gable was re-teamed with the beautiful Jean Harlow for the sixth time, in this delightful M-G-M romantic comedy. On screen, Jean Harlow was pure platinum: white-blonde, rare glamourous and tough. But she was fragile off screen, succumbing to kidney disease at the achingly early age of 26, just as this film was about to complete production. So Saratoga became what it was never intended to be: a farewell to the great star. Gable and Harlow share the screen with a superb cast of M-G-M’s best supporting players. The story with its colorful racing-circuit setting is a hoot: a snappy, sexy tale of a horse breeder’s daughter (Harlow) who is engaged to an upstanding millionaire (Walter Pidgeon), but drawn to a brash bookie (Gable). Saratoga opened a month after Harlow’s death and grieving fans made it a box-office smash.

See on Amazon

 

[RobertMG]

fb listings 9.26.23

 

[Robert Crawford]

fb listings 9.26.23

Yes, the initial FB announcement date was wrong. It's been corrected there and here.

 

[bujaki]

Many scenes were shot using a double for Harlow after her untimely death. I don't recall this film as one of her best, alas! And it does have that awful ham: Lionel B.
But I'll get it. Some Harlow is better than no Harlow.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Many scenes were shot using a double for Harlow after her untimely death. I don't recall this film as one of her best, alas! And it does have that awful ham: Lionel B.
But I'll get it. Some Harlow is better than no Harlow.

Yeah, it's not one of her best, but it's her last movie so it's definitely a first day purchase for me.

 

[Richard M S]

Red Dust would have been my first choice for a Clark Gable/Jean Harlow release but I welcome this one as well. It's been a long time since I have seen it, but I remember Saratoga as a very enjoyable film with the unfortunate but necessary usage of a double mostly in the last third of the picture. It's also a fun showcase for Hattie McDaniel as well.

 

[RobertMG]

JUST ANNOUNCED! September Blu-ray releases from the Warner Archive. And be sure to listen to the September Announce Podcast where George gives background and restoration details on each release. COMING August 16th!
CHRISTOPHER STRONG (1933)
SARATOGA (1937)
WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951)
CATS DON’T DANCE (1997)
PALMETTO (1998)
BEFORE NIGHT FALLS (2000)

 

[Robert Harris]

Red Dust would have been my first choice for a Clark Gable/Jean Harlow release but I welcome this one as well. It's been a long time since I have seen it, but I remember Saratoga as a very enjoyable film with the unfortunate but necessary usage of a double mostly in the last third of the picture. It's also a fun showcase for Hattie McDaniel as well.

I believe Red Dust needs a great deal of work to make it presentable.

 

[RobertMG]

I believe Red Dust needs a great deal of work to make it presentable.

McDaniel became very close on that film becoming lifelong friends in fact Gable went every Sunday to her house for lunch

 

[Nick*Z]

WAC continues to mine the lesser nuggets first, making collectors wait for the good stuff. It's been said, but Saratoga wouldn't have been my first pic for a Harlow classic. Personal Property, Red Dust, China Seas. No shortage of goodies. This ain't one of them!

Palmetto was one of the poorest received movies of its year and currently holds a 31% 'Fresh' rating on RT. But hey, let's push it ahead of, say, Private Benjamin, Nuts, The Sheltering Sky or Extreme Measures (1996).

And can we just get WAC to acknowledge Kate 'the great' Hepburn in her best flick with Spenc' - Adam's Rib?!?

 

[Matt Hough]

Yes, it's historically important if not dramatically so.

 

[Thomas T]

WAC continues to mine the lesser nuggets first, making collectors wait for the good stuff. It's been said, but Saratoga wouldn't have been my first pic for a Harlow classic. Personal Property, Red Dust, China Seas. No shortage of goodies. This ain't one of them!

Palmetto was one of the poorest received movies of its year and currently holds a 31% 'Fresh' rating on RT. But hey, let's push it ahead of, say, Private Benjamin, Nuts, The Sheltering Sky or Extreme Measures (1996).

And can we just get WAC to acknowledge Kate 'the great' Hepburn in her best flick with Spenc' - Adam's Rib?!?

Just like clockwork, we can count on old Nick's displeasure at Warner's announcements. (And yes, like clockwork, you can count on me to bring it up! )

 

[Robin9]

I believe Red Dust needs a great deal of work to make it presentable.

The elements are so poor, it took a very long time for it to be a DVD-R release by Warner Archive.

 

[Nick*Z]

Not exactly certain what Thomas T considers as 'clockwork' as I have been absent from this site for more than half a year. So, 'clockwork' isn't exactly my thing. And just for the record, I don't diss WAC because I am dissatisfied, but merely to illustrate some of the oddities they continue to mine in lieu of the bona fide treasures they possess, still MIA in hi-def.

I mean, can we just agree that by now they should have wrapped up their commitment to the Val Lewton horrors by releasing the final 2 in remastered editions: I Walked With A Zombie and The 7th Victim?!?

Can we not accept that to have Ziegfeld Follies and Ziegfeld Girl on Blu without actually releasing the Oscar winning classic that started the cycle - The Great Ziegfeld, is just more than a bit odd and dumb?

And can we agree that in the cannon of Esther Williams treasures, her debut - Bathing Beauty - should have come before Dangerous When Wet and Neptune's Daughter - two, decidedly lesser efforts. We could also use Easy to Love here.

Finally, there are so many fine films waiting to be released via WAC - so many 'A' list catalog, that to spend several months releasing titles that are not as well known - especially as WB is celebrating its 100th, is just a little off-putting.

For WB's 100th, would it have really killed WAC to feature us with at least one or two more Errol Flynn movies - Captain Blood and The Charge of the Light Brigade a good place to start?
What about more Bette Davis? The Man Who Came To Dinner? Old Acquaintance? It would have been nice to see a bit of Busby Berkeley on this roster of celebration too, to say nothing a bit more Bogie, some Alexis Smith, and top off the Crawford spate with Humoresque - a real gem from her Warner years.

Next year marks MGM's 100th. How likely do you think we'll be seeing titles like Scaramouche, Marie Antoinette, Romeo and Juliet, A Woman's Face, Red Dust, Best Foot Forward, Royal Wedding, Thousands Cheer, Words and Music, Till the Clouds Roll By, That Midnight Kiss, The Toast of New Orleans, Holiday in Mexico, Small Town Girl, Knights of the Round Table, The Catered Affair, or any of the other Metro catalog I've already listed here and in my previous post.

Wait and see, I suppose. But I'm aging...rapidly.

 

[Thomas T]

Not exactly certain what Thomas T considers as 'clockwork' as I have been absent from this site for more than half a year. So, 'clockwork' isn't exactly my thing. And just for the record, I don't diss WAC because I am dissatisfied, but merely to illustrate some of the oddities they continue to mine in lieu of the bona fide treasures they possess, still MIA in hi-def.

I mean, can we just agree that by now they should have wrapped up their commitment to the Val Lewton horrors by releasing the final 2 in remastered editions: I Walked With A Zombie and The 7th Victim?!?

Can we not accept that to have Ziegfeld Follies and Ziegfeld Girl on Blu without actually releasing the Oscar winning classic that started the cycle - The Great Ziegfeld, is just more than a bit odd and dumb?

And can we agree that in the cannon of Esther Williams treasures, her debut - Bathing Beauty - should have come before Dangerous When Wet and Neptune's Daughter - two, decidedly lesser efforts. We could also use Easy to Love here.

Finally, there are so many fine films waiting to be released via WAC - so many 'A' list catalog, that to spend several months releasing titles that are not as well known - especially as WB is celebrating its 100th, is just a little off-putting.

For WB's 100th, would it have really killed WAC to feature us with at least one or two more Errol Flynn movies - Captain Blood and The Charge of the Light Brigade a good place to start?
What about more Bette Davis? The Man Who Came To Dinner? Old Acquaintance? It would have been nice to see a bit of Busby Berkeley on this roster of celebration too, to say nothing a bit more Bogie, some Alexis Smith, and top off the Crawford spate with Humoresque - a real gem from her Warner years.

Next year marks MGM's 100th. How likely do you think we'll be seeing titles like Scaramouche, Marie Antoinette, Romeo and Juliet, A Woman's Face, Red Dust, Best Foot Forward, Royal Wedding, Thousands Cheer, Words and Music, Till the Clouds Roll By, That Midnight Kiss, The Toast of New Orleans, Holiday in Mexico, Small Town Girl, Knights of the Round Table, The Catered Affair, or any of the other Metro catalog I've already listed here and in my previous post.

Wait and see, I suppose. But I'm aging...rapidly.

You're aging rapidly? I'm turning 75 next week! I hope you're not taking me too seriously. Actually, I find your mini tirades amusing and, believe it or not, look forward to them. I have my own massive list of Warner/MGM/RKO titles I'd love to see on blu ray and I'm positive you'd be appalled at some of my choices (I'd take The Crowded Sky, Looking For Love or Made In Paris over any Joan Crawford or Kathryn Grayson titles any day!) and I'm sure you'd be mortified if Warners released them (fat cchance) ahead of your Jane Powell musicals. Lighten up, buddy, it's all good!

 

[Marc Hampton]

I doubt Saratoga is anyone's favorite movie (it's a somewhat morbid film to watch when you know the back story)... but as with so many other recent Warner Archive releases... the insanely beautiful presentation REALLY uplifts films that I used to wave off as routine and forgettable. (they've got me buying westerns ...and I used to hate westerns). I'll definitely be purchasing this.

 

[Nick*Z]

The elements are so poor, it took a very long time for it to be a DVD-R release by Warner Archive.

As I recall, the DVD-R didn't look so bad, given the limited quality of elements. Was it perfect? No. But neither was WAC's Blu of Dinner at Eight, and it found its way to hi-def. Ditto for The Broadway Melody, Cimarron, Camille, The Philadelphia Story. So, I can only partly accept that WAC is withholding based on quality of elements. And better elements are always turning up. I don't think you'll find anyone who considers the starting point WAC had with the Val Lewton horror movies on DVD as 'good'. But then, we started getting near pristine Blu's that blew them out of the water.

 

[Robert Crawford]

As I recall, the DVD-R didn't look so bad, given the limited quality of elements. Was it perfect? No. But neither was WAC's Blu of Dinner at Eight, and it found its way to hi-def. Ditto for The Broadway Melody, Cimarron, Camille, The Philadelphia Story. So, I can only partly accept that WAC is withholding based on quality of elements. And better elements are always turning up. I don't think you'll find anyone who considers the starting point WAC had with the Val Lewton horror movies on DVD as 'good'. But then, we started getting near pristine Blu's that blew them out of the water.

All of those titles looked good to me on my OLEDs. Furthermore, George Feltenstein stated on "The Extras" podcast that the other five movies that paired Gable/Harlow are coming. It just happened to be that Saratoga was ready to go while others like Red Dust, China Seas and Hold Your Man are in various stages of restoration. Anyhow, now back to Saratoga.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Amazon Pre-Order Link added to first post.