MIA Classic DVDs

Before the economy went crashing to its knees, several exciting classic titles were announced for DVD. With disposable income cut however, DVD sales took a precipitous downturn, including catalog titles. Unfortunately, these previously announced titles are now MIA.

Rumor has it some of the Fox titles were fully restored, and even had audio commentaries recorded, so I can’t see Fox not releasing them. Surely they want some return on their investment? While Fox has currently all but abandoned its classic titles line, it’s my hope some of these previously announced titles from Fox and other companies will see the light of day.

A search through my increasingly faulty memory banks has come up with a few of these titles.

Several years ago we got a Betty Grable Vol. 1, but never a Vol. 2. Rumor has it poor sales for the first put the kibosh on the second. But I do recall reading that “The Shocking Miss Pilgrim” (1947), a delightful film where Betty plays the first woman secretary in Boston at the turn of the century, was fully restored and had an audio commentary recorded. The Gershwin songs make this a natural for release.

I hope it makes its way soon, either as a stand alone title or the aforementioned Vol. 2. (Fox, put out a box set with “Shocking Miss Pilgrim” and include “Mother Wore Tights” (1947) and “Coney Island” (1943) and watch that set go flying off the shelf.)

Several years ago, Fox announced the DVD release of its Technicolor John Philip Sousa biography “Stars and Stripes Forever” (1952) starring Clifton Webb, Robert Wagner and Debra Paget. For several years I thought it would come out around July 4, but it has yet to happen. I think Fox would be surprised at how well this would sell. It would make a welcome holiday screening alternative to “Yankee Doodle Dandy” (1942), as magnificent as that film is.

Fox also announced a Ritz Brothers set, and God help me, but yes, I would have bought it. I have fond memories of their hillbilly comedy “Kentucky Moonshine” (1938) and their ”Life Begins in College” (1937) gets pretty good reviews. I don’t think the excellent Alice Faye/Don Ameche musical “You Can’t Have Everything” (1937) was listed for that set, but maybe Fox was saving that for a third box set of Alice Faye titles. I can dream, can’t I?

Getting away from Fox, Warner Bros. had announced a fully restored version of their George Gershwin biography “Rhapsody in Blue” (1945), with added footage not seen since its original release. If memory serves, there was a longer, or a different version, prepared for U.S. servicemen, much like “The Big Sleep” (1946). The footage not seen stateside was to be included. I have not heard a peep about this title for several years, but if Steven Spielberg does get his proposed Gershwin biography off the ground, this would be a natural tie-in. That may be a bit down the road, but we’ve waited this long, what’s another few years?

Warner’s great version of “The Sea Wolf” (1941), with Edward G. Robinson unforgettable as Captain Wolf Larsen, has been rumored for years to be coming, also with missing footage not seen since its original release. With all the restoration going on with this title, I can’t see this going the WB Archive route. However it gets released, I can’t wait to see it. As far as I’m concerned, they can take all the time they need to do this one right.

I have vague memories of a special two-disc edition of “The Man Who Would Be King” (1975) being announced, but that was years ago and I haven’t heard anything since. Again this is a title fully deserving the two-disc treatment and I sincerely hope it will come true some day.

Readers, please let me know what titles I’ve missed or if you’re aware of the status of any of the above. Thanks.

DVD Box Sets: A Wish List

As an avid buyer, and watcher, of classic Hollywood titles on DVD, I’ve often fantasized about which DVD box sets I would like to see. The following are a few I’ve thought of recently. One or two are within the realm of possibility, while some others are likely mere pipe dreams. But in an industry that last year gave us a Sam Katzman collection (one of my favorite DVD collections, by the way), then anything is possible.

Tyrone Power – Action Hero

Last month 20th Century Fox gave us the Tyrone Power Matinee Idol Collection, with 10 titles consisting mainly of comedies and dramas. This means Fox leaves us with a good variety of Power titles in the adventure genre that could be mined for a box set. Because Fox placed such a strong emphasis on the romantic Power in the last collection, it seems very likely that they will do a separate adventure set.

“Untamed” (1955). Power, Susan Hayward and Richard Egan in a romantic adventure set amidst the Boer War. Fabulous Franz Waxman score, with one of the best main title music cues ever.

“King of the Khyber Rifles” (1955). Power romances Terry Moore and puts down a native rebellion on the Indian frontier. Pretty dull film, livened by a great Bernard Herrmann score, far and away the best thing in the film. Guy Rolfe plays the villain, always a plus.

“Pony Solider” (1952). Power as a Canadian Mountie putting down an Indian rebellion. Good Saturday afternoon fare.

“Diplomatic Courier” (1952): Tense spy melodrama with Patricia Neal. Henry Hathaway directed, who was one of Power’s best directors.

“An American Guerilla in the Philippines” (1951). WWII action, directed by Fritz Lang, which will get some attention from the Lang cultists.

“Suez” (1938). Power as Ferdinand deLesseps, architect of the Suez Canal. Power has two leading ladies, Loretta Young and future wife Annabella. If memory serves, the sandstorm sequence is might impressive.

“Lloyd’s of London” (1937). Power’s breakthrough role, in this story of the founding of the famous insurance company. Even though it’s about an insurance company, it’s surprisingly watchable. Madeleine Carroll is absolutely gorgeous in this, but you knew that already. Also, this was the first of several teamings between Power and George Sanders. Watching “Lloyd’s of London”, who would have ever guessed that Power and Sanders would be rehearsing a sword fight for “Solomon and Sheba” (1959) when Power would be felled by a fatal heart attack, dying at age 44.

John Wayne Adventure Set

During last year’s John Wayne centennial celebration, I kept hoping that Universal would release six very rare action movies he made there in the mid-1930s. I don’t know what condition they’re in, and maybe good materials don’t exist for them. But these would be nice to see. I’ve never seen any of these except for “Idol of the Crowds” and that was in a splicy, dark, bootleg copy.

“Adventure’s End” (1937): Period sea adventure story.

“Idol of the Crowds” (1937): John Wayne as a hockey player.

“I Cover the War” (1937): Wayne as a war correspondent.

“California Straight Ahead” (1937): Wayne as a cross-country trucker.

“Conflict” (1936): Wayne as a boxer. This co-stars mega babe Jean Rogers, who co-starred that year as Dale Arden in the Flash Gordon serial. 1936 Jean Rogers is well worth watching.

“The Sea Spoilers” (1936): Wayne as a Coast Guard officer.


Dennis Morgan/Jack Carson Collection

One of my favorite stars of the 1940s was Dennis Morgan. A most likeable chap, with a very pleasant tenor singing voice, Morgan was a big star at Warner Bros. in the 1940s and was teamed with good friend Jack Carson in a series of popular musicals.

“Two Guys from Texas” (1948). Morgan and Carson on a dude ranch out west. With Dorothy Malone and a Bugs Bunny sequence.

“Two Guys from Milwaukee” (1946). Morgan as a European prince who, wanting to relate to the common folk, ditches his royal responsibilities. He befriends cab driver Jack Carson, who doesn’t know his new friend’s real identity. All this, and a Bogart/Bacall cameo.

“The Time, the Place and the Girl” (1948). Fun musical with a nice score, including “Got a Gal in Calico”. Nice Technicolor on this one.

“Shine on Harvest Moon” (1944). Morgan as entertainer Jack Hayes (also lyricist of the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”) and Ann Sheridan as his wife, legendary vaudevillian Nora Hayes. If memory serves, the film is in black and white but the final musical number is in Technicolor. Carson plays, I think, a fellow vaudevillian, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen it.


“It’s a Great Feeling” (1949): A wonderful spoof of Hollywood, with much of it filmed on the Warner Bros. backlot, and cameos by lots of Warner Bros. stars. Morgan and Carson play themselves, with Carson cast as an ego-filled ham who no one wants to work with. This title might be part of a rumored third Doris Day box set.

Twentieth Century Fox Gay 90s Composers Series

Sure, they would have to change the title, but if it meant additional sales, I say keep it. 20th Century Fox boasted a series of films highlighting composers who are hardly household names but were big news 100 years ago. Curiously, Fox would augment these films with new songs written by their in-house composers. For instance, “My Gal Sal” the purported story of Paul Dresser, has more songs in the movie not written by Dresser. Ah, Hollywood.

“My Gal Sal” (1942). Paul Dresser, brother of the novelist Theodore Dreisser, wrote the title song and “On the Banks of the Wabash.” Here he’s played by Victor Mature and Sal is none other than Rita Hayworth, in glorious Technicolor. This is one of my biggest wishes for DVD release.

“Irish Eyes are Smiling” (1944). Dick Haymes plays Ernest Ball, composer of the title song, and June Haver, in her first big role, as the Irish lass he writes the song about. The film’s big production number, “Bessie in the Bustle” is by Mack Gordon and James V. Monaco. So much for honoring Ball.

“I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” (1947). June Haver again, this time supporting Mark Stevens as composer Joe Howard.

“Oh, You Beautiful Doll!” (1949). June Haver and Mark Stevens again, this time with Stevens as Fred Fisher, composer of the title song, “Chicago”, and “Peg O’ My Heart.”

Of course there’s also “Stars and Stripes Forever” (1952), with Clifton Webb as John Philip Sousa, with good support from Robert Wagner and Debra Paget. This is slated for release later this year, according to http://www.foxclassics.com/.

Betty Grable Vol. 2

I’ve heard rumors that Betty Grable Vol. 1 experienced disappointing sales, which may be true since there’s been no news about a Vol. 2. But with Alice Faye getting a second volume, I’m hoping that Betty will get her due as well.

Part of the problem may have been the contents of the first volume. “My Blue Heaven” (1950 is pretty rough going and “The Dolly Sisters” (1945) is one of the weaker Grable period musicals (though it was one of her biggest hits).

What they should include in the second volume is:

“Coney Island” (1943), my favorite Grable film, and never released on home video before. Great Technicolor and some of Grable’s best numbers including “Take it From There,” “There’s Danger in a Dance” (featuring seemingly every balloon in Hollywood at the time) and the scintillating “Lulu from Louisville.” Heck they can even throw in the remake, “Wabash Avenue” (1950), also starring Grable, as a bonus.

“Mother Wore Tights” (1947). Now we’re talking. Probably her most popular film, and the first musical to team her with Dan Dailey, “Mother Wore Tights” is a warm and affectionate look at a family of vaudevillians. “You Do” is repeated a hundred times in this movie; you’ll be hearing it in your sleep for days afterwards. Betty’s legs look sensational in that cut away tuxedo in the “Kokomo, Indiana” number.

“The Shocking Miss Pilgrim” (1947). Speaking of legs, this was one of Betty’s biggest flops, with the studio theorizing she was kept in long skirts for too much of the movie. Regardless, this tale of one of the first women secretaries in the work force (called here a “typewriter”) has a great deal of charm and a treasure trove of previously unpublished Gershwin songs. Her duet with Dick Haymes, “Aren’t You Kind of Glad We Did”, is a particular favorite.

“Sweet Rosie O’Grady” (1943). More period Betty, with a short and sweet running time of less than 75 minutes. Good Harry Warren score, including a particular favorite “My Heart Tells Me” and “Goin’ to the County Fair.” Fox filmed the same story in modern dress as “Love is News” (1937) and “That Wonderful Urge” (1949), both starring Tyrone Power. Fox certainly got its money worth with that story.

That’s a lot of Betty Grable in period garb. They need to throw in a modern title, so how about “Springtime in the Rockies” (1942) which introduced the song “I Had the Craziest Dream.” This is also the only Carmen Miranda film unreleased to DVD.

Or they could give us “Billy Rose’s Diamond Horseshoe” (1945) with its fabulous opening number “Acapulco” and Dick Haymes singing “The More I See You.” When this film was released in New Zealand he recorded a new version called “The Maori I See You.” No he didn’t, that was a joke.

Or how about “Song of the Islands” (1942), with lots of Betty in bathing suits and grass skirts?

Universal/Paramount Sets

Universal is woefully lacking in sales of their catalog sets. How about a second collection of Deanna Durbin? A Jon Hall/Maria Montez collection? I think Universal would be pleasantly surprised at how well that would sell. An Alan Ladd/Veronica Lake collection? By including “The Glass Key” (1942) and “The Blue Dahlia” (1946) you’d be pleasing fans of, respectively Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.

As time goes on I will compile another list of fantasy DVD box sets.

I Wake Up Screaming

“I Wake Up Screaming” (1941) is a terrific title for a neat little crime drama. While the DVD release has it under the Fox Noir label, it’s really not a noir in the traditional sense but the theme of obsession, and some of the lighting effects achieved, do point the way toward latter noirs.

The cast is also decidedly un-noir like, though it is an appealing one. Vicky Lynn (Carole Landis) is a waitress in a small New York City diner when she is a approached by slick publicist Frankie Christopher (Victor Mature) who thinks he can turn the beautiful waitress into a star. He accomplishes this but she soon rebuffs his efforts and tells him she has just signed a Hollywood contract. When she is later found murdered, Frankie and her sister Jill (Betty Grable) are the prime suspects. Investigating the case is a police detective named Ed Cornell (Laird Cregar) who seems to have acquired an unhealthy interest in the dead girl.

Mature, Grable and Landis at the time were known for their performances in musicals and comedies, but they adapt to the material just fine. 20th Century Fox knew what they had with their stars, so even in this crime drama they find room for a short scene where Grable dons a bathing suit to show off those famous legs. Grable also shot a scene where, as an employee pushing sheet music and records at a department store, she sings a song called “Daddy.” The scene was wisely cut but it is here on the DVD as an extra. I love watching deleted musical numbers from films and this number was one I thought I would never see. I love DVDs.

Cregar steals the show, as he usually does, as the hulking police detective. Cregar was over six feet tall and weighed over 300 pounds and dominates every scene he’s in. There’s also a first-rate supporting cast, including Allyn Joslyn as a columnist, Alan Mowbray as an actor, both vying with Mature for the affections of Vicky; weasely Elisha Cook Jr. as one of the suspects; Morris Ankrum as a district attorney, and in one scene each, Charles Lane and the great Frank Orth.

Contemporary audiences might look at performances like Mature’s and Grable’s here and laugh them off, saying they are just playing themselves, but that’s not true. Their line readings and expressions are more the adequate and they perform just fine. Not every performance has to be an angst-ridden one to get a story across. What’s more, we like them and don’t want to see them unjustly accused.

The film was directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, who directed several of the better 1930s Charlie Chan titles starring Warner Oland. His lighting effects are interesting and evocative and pave the way for the more dramatic lighting that would occur throughout the 1940s as film noir matured.

I’ve always liked Victor Mature. He was a most likeable actor and had the good sense to spoof himself later in his career in “After the Fox” (1966) and “Head” (1968). In the 1950s my mom worked for a gentleman who served on a submarine with him during World War II. He said Mature was one of the greatest guys he ever knew, just a regular joe who did now want any special attention brought to him. He was equally liked and respected by the rest of the crew as well. A good guy, who never took himself seriously.

The film’s musical scoring is particularly interesting as it incorporates two well-known themes. In 1931 Alfred Newman composed the score for “Street Scene” and re-used the music throughout the 1940s and 1950s for various big city dramas. I think it’s used in “Kiss of Death” (1947), “Cry of the City” (1948) and others too numerous too mention. Long popular with audiences, it received its most spectacular performance as a prologue to “How to Marry a Millionaire” (1955) where the 20th Century Fox orchestra was filmed performing the famous piece to highlight Fox’ new stereo surround recording system.

Oddly, the other piece of music used to denote Cornell’s growing obsession with Vicky is “Over the Rainbow.” It was almost unheard of for a song from a rival studio, in this case M-G-M’s, to be featured in another studio’s production. I would love to hear how this came about, and when I watch the movie again, I will listen to the commentary to see if any light can be shined on this. I can’t think of another instance where this occurred during the studio system.

“I Wake Up Screaming” runs a brisk 81 minutes and is a fine way to spend a cold winter evening.

Rating for “I Wake Up Screaming”: Three stars.