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[Mark Jan Bakker]

My vote for release on DVD would be:

ORCHESTRA WIVES
SUN VALLEY SERENADE
TIN PAN ALLEY
DOWN ARGENTINE WAY

All of these movies featuring Fayard and Harold Nicholas, the wonderful Nicholas Brothers. Perhaps the greatest ever dance team in the history of the movies.
If these guys had been given the same chances by the major studios as white performers of the time, i believe they would have eclipsed Astaire and Kelly as the greatest male dancers in movies of the 20th century.

The Nicholas brothers were classed as a 'specialality Act' (Sammy Davis called them a 'Flash Act' in TE3) and as such performed one or two dance numbers in their movies without ever being part of the plot of the movie.
They managed however, within the few movies they made, to produce some of the greatest ever screen dancing. Their number in 'Down Argentine Way' is breathtaking.

Modern DVD audiences need to know it wasn't just Astaire and Kelly, great though ther contribution to screen dancing was, the Nicholas Brothers are right up there with them.

Mark Bakker
Bristol, United Kingdom

[Chris Marcus]

The Fox forum is building at a rate of knots. I hadn't contributed because most of the requests covered my needs. I hadn't considered the Bing Crosby films for Fox because I think this his weakest output.

I support Mark Jan Bakker's opinion of the Nicholas Brothers. They were a fabulous dance team but to compare them with Astaire and Kelly is rather like comparing Hemingway with Dickens or Billie Holiday with Nellie Melba.
Greatness in whatever form is still greatness. The Nicholas Brothers could never have given us "Top Hat" or "Singin' In The Rain." Gene Kelly,in fact, recognised the Nicholas Brothers by inviting them to dance with him in "The Pirate." The story goes that they were bitter at having to play second fiddle to Kelly. There's gratitude for you.

But since "Sun Valley Serenade," "Orchestra Wives" and "Down Argentine Way" are among the most requested Fox films, there's a good chance that the brilliant Nicholas Brothers will soon be on our DVD players. But let's not forget the unique Astaire in "Daddy Long Legs."

[David Prosser]

It was interesting to learn that Fox are at last doing a box set of Shirley Temple, the most famous child star in the history of movies. Unfortunately the titles they have chosen do not constitute the best - or even the most popular - of Miss Temple's films. Where is "The Little Colonel" - where she does that famous "stairs" dance with the legendary Bill "Bojangles" Robinson ? ( in all she made four films with "Bojangles" and this collection doesn't even contain one of them ). And what about "Wee Willie Winkie" ? This was the one occasion when she worked with the great director, John Ford.

Of the five titles that we do get, Heidi, The Stowaway, Captain January, Our Little Girl and Poor Little Rich Girl., only the latter title could be termed a Temple classic. In fact, it's one of her best. The others are OK
but hardly representative of this remarkable child's best work.

But I suppose if the set sells in sufficient numbers, we'll get a second collection clled the BEST of Shirley Temple.

[Ron Patmore]

I fully agree with David Prosser about the Shirley Temple set. How could anyone compile a long overdue Temple collection and not include her most famous sequence - the stairs dance with "Bojangles" Robinson ?

Although she was an amazing little performer, I'm not a great fan of her films and this new box set - although probably welcomed by many - does not interest me particularly because it lacks the real highlights of her career. What a pity it wasn't compiled by someone more knowledgeable.

[Christoph Nestel]

As time goes by, one remembers more and more great titles from the Fox catalogue. Plain to see, my impetus is to take the chance drawing attention to movies which are not so well known but of high values and have not been available at all or only in mediocre versions so far. Let's think about:


THE LODGER (1944, Directed by John Brahm)
Laird Cregar, George Sanders, Merle Oberon, Cedric Hardwicke, Sara Allgood

An atmospheric but unfortunately almost forgotten version of the Jack the Ripper-myth from the novel by Marie Belloc-Lowndes. The new lodger... is he the murderer ? Remake of Hitchcock's 1926 classic silent but does another approach to the story. Don't miss both ! Never released on home video worldwide.

[Don Waites]

I'm glad that Christoph mentioned "The Lodger." I recently requested "Hangover Square" - which was also directed by John Brahms and starred the impressive Laird Cregar. What a great double-bill these two films would make.

[D.H.]

I wonder what the Shirley Temple films look like these days. I haven't seen them since I was a kid ( I'm now 59 ). Pretty dated I would imagine.

While it's good to see Fox have decided to issue a Temple box set, I can't understand why they didn't play it safe and issue "The Little Colonel" ( the best known of the films she did with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and,of course, the 1934 "Bright Eyes" in which the little tot sang her biggest hit "On The Good Ship Lollypop."

I'll probably buy the set anyway - because of "Poor Little Rich Girl" - which is certainly one of her best and most liveliest films. But it's such a pity that they left off the real Temple classics.

[Colin East]

Having bought Fox's fabulous 11-disc MARILYN MONROE DIAMOND COLLECTION ( one of my most cheished box sets ), I was looking forward to getting the two previously unreleased Marilyn films that are to be released later this year. Imagine my frustration and disappointment, then, when I see that they are being issued in two box sets ( one to each box ) which contain ALL of the films that appear in the "DIamond Collection." The two previously unreleased titles are not, strictly speaking, Marilyn Monroe films. "Let's Make It Legal"(1951) is a so-so comedy starring Claudette Colbert and MacDonald Carey - with MM in sixth place in a nothing role as a bathing beauty. The second title "We're Not Married"(1952) is marginally better. It's a kind of
" portmanteau "picture telling of five married couples who dscover their weddings aren't legal. It has a fairly starry cast including Ginger Rogers,
Paul Douglas, Mitzi Gaynor, etc. Marilyn is a little more appealing in this one. Both pictures, though, come from that early Fox period when the studio were still wondering what to do with her.

If you didn't buy the sumptious "Diamond" Collection, then these two box sets will satisfy you. Personally, I think it's a shoddy deal that's aimed at the Monroe completists who don't mind spending out yet again for all the true Marilyn classics in order to complete their collections. Maybe in a couple of years, they'll bring out another box set with "Scudda Hoo,Scudda Hay" (1948), "A Ticket To Tomahawk"(1950) and "Full House"(1952) - and her fans can buy all the same Monroe classics yet again.

Personally, I'll stick with what I've got and hope that, at some later date, Fox will issue these two rarities as a two-fer - or, as a three-pack - with "Full House" and call it "Marilyn Rarities." - or some such title. Tha, I would probably invest in.

[mgcroadster]

[David Prosser]

I can understand the anguish of mgcroadster over Fox's mishandling of the first-ever Shirley Temple box set ( not only have they chosen the least effective films - except for "Poor Little Rich Girl" - but they've also chosen to present them in computerised colour ) but I can't join him in hoping that the set doesn't sell. It probably won't sell to any but the most ardent Temple fans. Let's hope this is sufficent for Fox to do the job properly the second time around.

It's not that I'm a particular fan of Shirley Temple - but I think that her scenes with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson are among the most treasured in Hollywood history in that they show both stars at their best.

[B. Charlesworth]

This is my first visit to the Laureate website. I found it following my recent purchase of HOLIDAY INN DVD. I wanted to know if Ken Barnes had produced any more DVDs of this calibre. My next puraches will be the Fred and Ginger set. What interest me now is this 20th Century Fox forum in which DADDY LONG LEGS appears to be a major favourite for DVD presentation. I'm certainly in the market for that one.

To Mr. Barnes, I can only say keep up the good work.

[M. Pender]

I have noted the occasional requests for box sets of Betty Grable, Alice Faye, etc. Why not do a series of THE GREAT FOX MUSICALS ? This could incorporate the best of Grable, Faye, Carmen Miranda, Glenn Miller, Harry James, Dick Haymes and so many other stars who helped to make these films so popular. I think an ongoing series like this could be a real winner.

[mgcroadster]

[mgcroadster]

Sorry, messed the link up and can't edit it - cut and paste...

[Phil Jellicoe]

I'm surprised that with all the interest in the Fox classic library, particularly in regard to musicals, that no one has mentioned "Centennial Summer"(1946) - if only for the fact that this was the last score by the great Jerome Kern.