Good news on the DVD release front: NBC/Universal is finally starting to open their vaults to release some of their classic library of Paramount and Universal films. DVD Times announced the April 4th releases of three two-disc "Glamour Collections" devoted to three of Paramount's biggest female stars: Mae West, Marlene Dietrich, and Carole Lombard.
Here are the lineups:
Mae West:
- Mae's first film, "Night After Night"
- her pre-code classic "I'm No Angel," arguably her best movie.
- "Goin' to Town"
- "Go West Young Man" with Cary Grant's roommate Randolph Scott
- and Universal's "My Little Chickadee" with W.C. Fields (which also appears on the "W.C. Fields Comedy Collection").
Marlene Dietrich:
- 1930's "Morocco," her first American film which paired her with a very young Gary Cooper.
- Another Josef von Sternberg pre-code collaboration, "Blonde Venus."
- "The Devil Is a Woman," with pre-code favorites Alison Skipworth and Edward Everett Horton.
- Universal's "The Flame of New Orleans," a period comedy-drama in which director Rene Clair sends up Dietrich's scandalous persona.
- and Mitchell Leisen's WWII romance "Golden Earrings."
Perhaps most exciting to me is the Carole Lombard set, since many of these titles are rarely seen anymore:
- 1931's "Man of the World" - Carole would end up marrying her co-star William Powell.
- Pre-code musical "We're Not Dressing," with Bing Crosby and Ethel Merman.
- Three screwball comedies opposite Fred MacMurray, "True Confession," "The Princess Comes Across" and Mitchell Leisen's "Hands Across the Table."
- The 1936 Universal release "Love Before Breakfast"
The only extras are a few original trailers, but it's nice to see Universal give these ladies their due on DVD. MSRP for each set is $26.98, a bargain for five (or in the case of Carole, six) films. Let's hope this means Universal will open the floodgates this year and follow with more classics.
