Your most-wanted candidates for Fox's Studio Classics in 2004? (1 Viewer)

[Bill Burns]

Derek wrote:

Too few people wanting the musicals of the 30s/40s ...

One more (or is that one fewer among the disinterested? Either way). I may love the R&Hs (specifically the two Shirley Jones', and not simply because she's in them ), but rest assured my heart belongs to the Jazz Age and its aftermath, and has for years. I'm one of those who voted for Ziegfeld Girl in the WB/AOL poll(!), but it wasn't chosen. :frowning: I'd love to see a greater number of the films of the 30's and 40's on DVD, including the musicals. Alice Faye is right at the top of my list as well, but generally anything from a major American studio in the 20's (which would exclude musicals, of course, until 1927) through the early 40's is of great interest to me, and anything Fox can offer from this period (again, 1933's Cavalcade was noted by Fox at some point as a title under consideration and/or planned) would be very welcome.

 

[Derek_McL]

Well said Bill. Just a shame DVD producers for Fox and Warners don't seem to agree with us. Musicals really do seem to be out of fashion and these two studios in particular seem loathe to release many/any of the musicals they own from the 30s and 40s. Even Chicago didn't reverse that trend but just seemed to reinforce the prejudice against the old style movie musical when people sang and danced without the silly contrivances of dream sequences.

Universal has given us plenty of the Bing Crosby titles and I believe Love Me Tonight and Applause from the early sound period are coming soon. Is it too much to hope we might get more Maurice Chevalier/Ernst Lubitsch style titles in the future ?

Columbia too seem to have turned the corner giving us Cover Girl last week , You'll Never Get Rich and the Jolson biopics are also coming soon.

Warners including MGM/RKO catalogs: pre 1950 musicals just 42nd Street (1933), The Wizard of Oz (1939), The Harvey Girls (1945),Good News (1947), Take Me out to the Ball Game (1949) and On the Town (1949).

Nothing much planned for the next twelve months: Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)(only certainty) Meet Me in St Louis (1944), That's Entertainment ! (1974). I take it Ziegfeld Girl (1941) and For Me and My Gal (1942) two losers in the recent poll will appear too. No Berkeley at least from his Warners heyday , Fred and Ginger, Band Wagon etc.

The Fox situation is even worse : only a few Shirley Temples available and I've read that the transfers are very poor. No musicals among the first year of Studio classics. Not that all the Fox musicals were good but they were interesting to compare with the sophistication of MGM or the working class raw talent of Warners.

The fact that so few people are asking for these films suggests they are being forgotten : not a lot of mention either for the great classic MGM musicals in the Warner Chat. I suppose its a catch 22 : if you don't ask you won't get : if people don't know about these films they won't get them on DVD and the number of films we consider to be classic musicals will get fewer and fewer.

 

[Piers C]

Musicals really do seem to be out of fashion [...] Even Chicago didn't reverse that trend

Actually, musicals are now quite in fashion...at least on TV.

Here's a blurb from a recent Reuters wire story with a link if you want to read the full text: "FILM SUCCESS PAVES THE WAY FOR TV MUSICALS...NEW YORK (Billboard) - The success of the Academy Award-winning film "Chicago" has fueled a gold rush of musicals on more than just the big screen. A slew of made-for-TV musicals is set to premiere during the next year. Among those in development are the ABC musicals "1776," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Once Upon a Mattress." Meanwhile, MTV will premiere a modern musical version of "Wuthering Heights" Sept. 14; it is also developing three musical movies, "Gloss," "Phantom" and "MTV's Hip Hopera: Faust."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._musicals_dc_1

Hopefully, in this new environment studios will revist the decision to release musical films from their vaults.

 

[Jeff_HR]

Warners including MGM/RKO catalogs: pre 1950 musicals just 42nd Street (1933), The Wizard of Oz (1939), The Harvey Girls (1945),Good News (1947), Take Me out to the Ball Game (1949) and On the Town (1949)

Don't forget "The Great Ziegfeld (1936)".

 

[Derek_McL]

The Great Ziegfeld (1936) : a bit overlong but some good music in it. Is that available officially ? Always thought the versions available were edited bootlegs. I doubt its joined Till The Clouds Roll By (1946) and Royal Wedding (1951)in the public domain.

 

[SteveP]

Some years ago, MGM/UA put out the MGM Composers Laser Disc boxed set that had a glorious looking transfer of TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY remastered from the three-strip Technicolor negative.

This transfer should look wonderful on DVD.

 

[Brook K]

Also from Warner, Anchors Aweigh and Broadway Melody of 1940.

 

[Mark-W]

Just wanted to add my $0.02, or in this case, $19.99 per title I will gladly (and immediately) fork over for any of the following:

Leave Her To Heaven

Fox, you've given us G.T. as Mrs Muir and soon enough as Laura...seems fitting to give us this one, eh?


Lifeboat

It is Hitchcock, and actually quite good Hitchcock.


Also, in general, if a film is described as "noir," it is usually on my buying list.


mw

 

[Greg_M]

Quote "Musicals really do seem to be out of fashion and these two studios in particular seem loathe to release many/any of the musicals they own from the 30s and 40s. Even Chicago didn't reverse that trend but just seemed to reinforce the prejudice against the old style movie musical when people sang and danced without the silly contrivances of dream sequences."

Some of the reasons musicals don't sell very well:

1. There haven't been any new ones in the last 15-20 years, so younger audiences aren't arware of them. "Moulin Rogue" & "Chicago" are only now starting to reverse the trend. A bunch of musical films are in pre-production and if the audience accepts them (again) then there will be more.

2. Most retail stores don't even have a musical section any more. Most musicals are lumped in with the "classics", just as Westerns are lumped with "Action Films" at Best Buy.

3. The people buying the DVD's are young men 20 - 30. They prefer the action/blow-up and sci-fi films more than any other group, so of course this is where the money is. which leads us to :4

4. People who might buy these films don't even own DVD players (My mom and aunts still don't own DVD players, how many other older people do? And how many buy films?)

5. Out of sight = forgotten. Plus music has changed so much in the last 60 years, films from the 30's and 40's seem old fashioned because well, they are. Some will live on because they are "classic" and some need restoration (RKO) and some are to costly to clear the music rights "Lady Sings the Blues"

6. There are actually a great many musical titles out there, if not on the store shelves than on-line.

7. Most stores don't stock them once they've been released. Go to any Best Buy or Circuit City and you're lucky to find two or three titles. If the stores had then on the shelves they might sell, but they gotta be there to sell.

8. "Chicago" of course, will also be viewed as a "Best Picture" titles when the filnal sales figures come in.


*I've read FOX is re-releasing "Carousel" on DVD - any one know if this is true? And why?

 

[SteveP]

The DVD's of CAROUSEL, OKLAHOMA!, and THE KING AND I are all older, non-anamorphic transfers.

The OKLAHOMA! master, from the unrestored Todd-AO negative, was done in 1994 for Laser Disc, and could use some work to reduce the flicker inherant in one of the original Todd-AO cameras. As the original film speed of Todd-AO was 30 fps, the film was photographed twice; a 2.55 to 1 CinemaScope version was shot for general release following the roadshow engagements of the Todd-AO version. They are two completely separate films, with some people prefering the CinemaScope version. Many people here on the forum have expressed a desire for a special edition containing both the Todd-AO and CinemaScope versions.

CAROUSEL was shot on a larger format 55MM CinemaScope negative (as was THE KING AND I) to yeild a higher definition CinemaScope image. When shooting commenced, it was uncertain if the CinemaScope 55 negative could be reduced to 35MM, so, initially, this too was being photographed twice, causing Frank Sinatra to leave the production-on the claim that he had been hired to perform in one film, not two. It was shortly thereafter found that the CinemaScope 55 negative COULD be reduced to standard 35MM, so the double shooting was suspended.

Both CAROUSEL and THE KING AND I were exhibited only with the 35MM reduction prints--no film was ever exhibited with 55MM release prints--although, in 1961, THE KING AND I had a 70MM "Grandeur" re-release.

 

[Brian W]

Forgot to include on my list-

THREE FACES OF EVE!!!

(didn't I read somewhere this is already scheduled?)

 

[Brian_N]

DVDJournal reports that My Darling Clementine will be released on Jan. 6th.

 

[Jeff_HR]

"Laura"!!

 

[Mark Zimmer]

The Innocents is now near the very top of my most wanted candidates, period. A Studio Classics treatment would be great.

Leave Her to Heaven would be another good candidate.
Drums Along the Mohawk

Remastered and restored versions of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals, all of which are abominations in their present Fox incarnations.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Fox has announced four titles for release on January 6:

I Was a Male War Bride
My Darling Clementine
Kiss Them For Me
People Will Talk

 

[John Hodson]

But only one of them is under the Fox Studio Classics banner.

Another vote for Drums Along the Mohawk BTW.

---
So many films, so little time...

 

[oscar_merkx]

true indeed what a classic indeed. At least John Ford is getting more respect

 

[Chuck Wood]

All of the suggestions are right on the mark, and I certainly agree with all of them. I would also like to suggest the mid thirties Special Effects curio DANTE'S INFERNO. It has truly inspired technical work from forgotten effects whiz Fred Sersen and a great early performance by Spencer Tracy. Many of the effects shots were ripped off by Ken Russell and used in Altered States. I'd also like to start the ball rolling for the MR.MOTO series with Peter Lorre. These are MUCH more lively and dynamic than the Charlie Chan series and would make a terrific box set.

 

[Paul Drake]

I'd also like to start the ball rolling for the MR.MOTO series with Peter Lorre.

I will second that motion. I have never been able to see the entire series and got excited when FMC starting showing them earlier this year.

Unfortunately, FMC decided to censor these films at the same time they censored the Chan films.

Although I doubt they would be released under the "Fox Classics" banner, I agree they would make a nice box.

I continue to push for Fox to release the Chans also.

 

[John Fleming]

I'd love to see Hitchcock's Lifeboat and the sword and sandal classic The 300 Spartans released by Fox.