What Warner DVD sets would YOU like to see? (1 Viewer)

[Danny Burk]

Hmm...trying to think of some catchy groupings that might appeal to WB marketing people While I'm not overly optimistic on some of the more obscure titles that I'd love to have on DVD, how about some of these...

"Great MGM epics" (1930s):
DAVID COPPERFIELD
TALE OF TWO CITIES
ROMEO AND JULIET
MARIE ANTOINETTE

Wm Powell and Myrna Loy (non THIN MAN films)

"Classic Thrillers"
DR X (both color and b&w versions)
MASK OF FU MANCHU
SVENGALI (does WB have a decent copy, better than the p.d. garbage that's so common?)
MAD LOVE
MARK OF THE VAMPIRE
THE MAGICIAN ('26 Ingram thriller)
DEVIL DOLL

"Great Silents"
BIG PARADE
GREED
DON JUAN
THE MERRY WIDOW
THE CROWD
SHOW PEOPLE
THE PATSY
+ loads of others that could be included

"Original and Remake"
SCARAMOUCHE '23 and '52
PRISONER OF ZENDA '22 and '37
WATERLOO BRIDGE (I've heard these are coming)
+ surely others that I'm not thinking of at the moment

Lillian Gish set (maybe as one of a series of "Great Actresses?")
LA BOHEME
SCARLET LETTER
THE WIND
ANNIE LAURIE (it has been restored and has the color sequence; I've heard it's great and I'm dying to see it!)

"Unseen Classics"
Films that have been unviewable because of underlying rights problems; wouldn't it be great for these to be cleared up at last:
LETTY LYNTON (Crawford '32)
CHRISTOPHER BEAN (M. Dressler '34)
IT'S A WISE CHILD (M. Davies '31)
GARDEN OF ALLAH (Ingram '27)
NIGHT FLIGHT (Gable + all-star '33)
THE CONSTANT NYMPH (Boyer & Fontaine '43)

And while I know that some these are in the works, I hope that LOTS of Pre-Code, '30s Gable, Crawford, Harlow, Lon Chaney and others are coming our way

 

[DavidBC]

Katharine Hepburn at RKO

 

[Mark B]

Also from RKO the gem BEAUTY FOR THE ASKING and the noir-ish PANAMA LADY.

 

[seanOhara]

Doesn't Warner own the '52 version of Zenda as well?

Scaramouche and PoZ would also make a nice base for a Great Adventures box set. Too bad they've already released Gunga Din and the Flynn swashbucklers, though I'm sure they have some Musketeer flicks.

 

[John Hodson]

Which leaves me thinking that they could do a 'Swashbucklers' set:

The Prisoner of Zenda (I'll take any or all versions, but especially 1952)
The Adventures of Don Juan (1948)
The Three Musketeers (1948)
The Flame & The Arrow (1950)

 

[Charles H]

BAD MOVIE COLLECTION:
Seven Women
The Story of Mankind
The Iron Petticoat
The Silver Chalice
The First Traveling Saleslady
Beyond the Forest
Mame
Green Mansions
Night of the Lepus: SE
Parnell
CULT CLASSICS:
The Loved One
Zabriskie Point
Petulia
Two Weeks in Another Town
Wild Rovers
Pretty Maids All in A Row
The World, the Flesh, and the Devil
MORE STARS THAN IN THE HEAVENS COLLECTION:
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
Weekend at the Waldorf
Thousands Cheer
The VIPs
The Yellow Rolls Royce
The Story of Three Loves
It's A Big Country
THE GREAT COMPOSERS COLLECTION:
Till the Clouds Roll By
Rhapsody in Blue
Deep in My Heart
Three Little Words
I'll See You in My Dreams
Words and Music
My Wild Irish Rose

 

[Deepak Shenoy]

Thomas T, I hope Warner read your post because the Tennessee Williams Collection that they have just announced is almost exactly what you requested. They just replaced Period of Adjustment with Sweet Bird of Youth.

-D

 

[Richard Matich]

The King Vidor Signature Collection

- The Big Parade: Two-Disc Special Edition
- The Crowd
- Hallelujah
- Billy the Kid
- The Champ

A Bubsy Berkeley Collection with Footlight Parade, Gold Diggers of 1933, Gold Diggers of 1935 and a 2-disc SE of 42nd Street

Those were talked about above. I'd spend my $ on them!

 

[Roger Rollins]

With no disrespect to Thomas T. (or anyone else, for that matter), Warner has stated in HTF chats, and several different articles/interviews, etc., that they schedule their classic releases two years in advance due to the lead time necessary for mastering/restoration, etc.

It would then be most likely that these plans were in action long before this thread was ever started. Warner is, in my opinion, the only one of the major studios that really KNOWS what's in their library....which is why many noted critics and writers have noted that they leave their competition in the dust when it comes to this area.

 

[Charles Ellis]

Annoucement? What annoucement re: Tennessee Willams? If so, please provide a link so I can see for myself!!!

 

[Richard M S]

Ok, well this will probably never happen but since we are just speculating, then how about a St. Patrick's Day box set:

Presenting Lily Mars (Judy Garland, George Murphy)

The Fighting 69th (James Cagney, Pat O'Brien)

My Wild Irish Rose (Dennis Morgan, Arlene Dahl)

The Irish In Us (James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Olivia De Havilland)

Three Cheers For The Irish (Dennis Morgan, Priscilla Lane)

 

[Mark Edward Heuck]

WORLD DIRECTORS
Michelangelo Antonioni's ZABRISKIE POINT
Lina Wertmuller's NIGHT FULL OF RAIN
Bernardo Bertoluuci's TRAGEDY OF A RIDICULOUS MAN
Federico Fellini's GINGER AND FRED
Istvan Szabo's MEETING VENUS

THE EPIC WORLD (foreign-language epics)
THE EMIGRANTS
THE NEW LAND
LES MISERABLES DU VINGTIEME SIECLE
ARIZONA DREAM (director's cut)
UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD (uncut version)
all but ARIZONA DREAM did get laserdisc releases from WB back in the day, although WORLD was the truncated US version

LIFE ON THE FRINGE (gay-themed films)
THE SERGEANT
THE FOX
THE RITZ
CRUISING (uncut version)
PERSONAL BEST

THE MODERN ICONOCLASTS ('70's and '80's auteurs)
Donald Cammell's PERFORMANCE
James B. Harris' FAST WALKING
James Toback's LOVE AND MONEY
Hal Ashby's LOOKIN' TO GET OUT
Michael Cimino's THE SUNCHASER
Alan Rudolph's MADE IN HEAVEN

BLACK IN ACTION
HIT MAN
COOL BREEZE
THE SLAMS
BLACK GUNN
STOP
THREE THE HARD WAY
BOOK OF NUMBERS

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

Well, this would be a great way to get Cruising and Personal Best, two of my most wanted.

On the thematic front, how about something like showcasing subcultures outside the mainstream, not necessarily exploring gay themes:
Straight Time
Carny
Payday
...All the Marbles
Cruising
Dusty and Sweets McGee
Personal Best

 

[Sammy-G]

I don’t know if this is old news, but a Marion Davies site reported that Show People is already in the works for a future release by WB. There aren’t any details, but the webmaster isn’t the sort to throw around idle rumors, so I’m pretty certain it’s true. A Davies box wouldn't be at all unwelcome to this viewer.

Thrilled to see that an Esther Williams set is in the making, too. Been anticipating word on a ballpark release date and hoping beyond hope that it includes Thrill of a Romance, my absolute favorite of hers.

I'd also like a Fred Astaire Signature Collection . I'm almost sure it'll happen, though it probably won't be for another few years - after the Astaire/Rogers collection vol. 2 is released, anyway. For now I’m still thrilled to have the 5 RKO films we’ve been given.

And on the not-nearly-as-likely horizon, I'd totally buy a Robert Montgomery set. I wish WB would at least release more of his titles with other, more commercial stars: The Last of Mrs. Cheyney and No More Ladies (both with Joan Crawford) or Private Lives (Norma Shearer). I'm surprised we haven't seen a release of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, though on second thought I don't know if WB even owns that one.

 

[Charles Ellis]

Here Comes Mr. Jordan is owned by Sony, which has been rather slow in releasing its catalog titles. Worse yet, their prices are ridiculously high compared to what Warner gives out on DVD.

 

[ReggieW]

JEAN HARLOW

-Red Headed Woman (1932) - This is one of the films which the Hayes code would use as an example of what couldn't be made after 1934. A real pre-code gem. Why aren't thee more requests for it here? I've read several books on pre-code Hollywood and this film is always deeply examined.

-Bombshell (1933) Jean does screwball and proved she could act with the best of them. Rosalind Russell would later say that Harlow's performance here influenced hers for "His Girl Friday." It is also one of the greatest satires on Hollywood ever made imho.

-Girl from Missouri (1934)
-Reckless (1935)Harlow/Powell
-Riff Raff (1935) Harlow/Spencer Tracy
-Personal Property (1936)Harlow/Robert Taylor
-Suzy (1936)Harlow/Cary Grant

HARLOW/GABLE BOXSET:

-Red Dust (1932) Gable and Harlow steam things up. Later remade by John Ford as "Mogambo." Peter Bogdanovich dismissed this film and opted for the Ford version...I think Bogdanovich is WRONG and simply thinks Ford can do no wrong. The original is much better...Ford or not. Period.

-Hold your Man (1933)

-China Seas (1935)

-Wife vs. Secretary (1936). Anyone interested in how Jean Harlow really was? According to all who knew her. She's in this film.

-Saratoga (1937) Jean's final film should definitely feature a commentary or featurette on its bizarre production. Harlow died before the film was finished so a double was used in many of the scenes! This happened years before Plan 9.

bonus disc exclusive to the set: The Secret Six (1931). A rare gangster film which stars Wallace Beery with Gable/Harlow in supporting roles.

This is long overdue. There wouldn't have been a Lana Turner, Marilyn Monroe (Jean was her idol), or even Madonna without Harlow. She deserves her due on DVD. Other than "Dinner at Eight" and "Libeled Lady," Warner hasn't released any Harlow films. "The Public Enemy" is a Cagney film in which Jean gives her worse performance. Let's have more Harlow.

Reg

 

[sebina]

I would very much like a Robert Donat box set. He was truly an incredible actor.

The ones I want to be released on dvd:

The Count of Monto Cristo (1934)
The Citadel (1938)
Vacation from Marriage (1945)
The adventures of Tartu (1943).
The ghost goes west (1935)

Have been released on dvd with him:

The 39 steps (1935)
The Inn of the sixth happiness (1958)
Goodbye, Mr Chips (1939) - he won an Oscar for this role.

EDIT: I would also like to see a John Garfield Box set released and barbara Stanwyck box set...

 

[Mark B]

TCM has aired this and the alternate cut "Sabotage Agent." The two would make a nice double disc set.

 

[DavidBC]

Katharine Hepburn

she's only the biggest movie star ever!

Seriously though, I really want more of her in my collection.

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

Charles,

I love your idea for a Garfield set though I might put The Sea Wolf in an Edward G. Robinson set. Postman has already been released, but I suppose WB will probably have to include it here as it is such a signature film for Garfield. I might also take out the ensemble Tortilla Flat in favor of some of these:
The Breaking Point - truly one of his best vehicles
Dust Be My Destiny
The Fallen Sparrow - RKO loan-out
Out of the Fog
Daughters Courageous
Saturday's Children