MovieChat Forums > Seed (1931) Discussion > Let's petition TCM to release a collecti...

Let's petition TCM to release a collection of early Davis movies.

posted 10 years ago by Helena727
4 replies | jump to latest

Amazon is loaded with "TCM Greatest Classics" collections that offer 4 movies per set. I'd like to see a collection of at least 4 (and preferably all 7) of the early Davis movies listed below, movies that I've never seen on TCM. I think such a collection would be profitable, given how many Bette Davis fans there are.

I know that Warner Home Archives has released at least one early BD (The Rich Are Always With Us) as a DVD-R, but I think those single DVD-R releases are less profitable, in part because they're relatively expensive and in part because a single title generates less excitement than a set of 3 (or 4, 5, 6), so the weak response to these single DVD-Rs gives a false impression of limited consumer demand.

Opinions on this? Thanks.

1933 The Working Man
1933 Just Around the Corner (Short)
1932 The Dark Horse
1932 The Menace
1931 Way Back Home
1931 Seed
1931 The Bad Sister

"All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people."

[–] marc-bijlsma 9 years ago

A set with rare, early movies with Bette Davis would be very nice. But the four oldest movies from your list are from Universal, Columbia and RKO, so except for possible the one from RKO, TCM does not own the rights to these movies.

'The working man' has already been released in the Warner Archive Collection earlier this year.

[–] aussiebears 9 years ago

Warners have released most of Bette's early movies that they made except The Dark Horse, So Big, Cabin In The Cotton and Special Agent.

I would really love to see The Menace get a release, this and Seed seem to be the hardest of Bette's movies to obtain, many said Seed was lost forever but UCLA has a very good print which they screened a few years ago.

Bad Sister was released on DVD in France, the soundtrack is in English but has French sub titles and the picture quality is pretty good.

Talking of So Big, the whole movie was on you tube sometime last year but they have taken it off now, wish I would have down loaded it while it was there, I flicked through it quickly one night and sped it up to the end when Bette appears, she looked stunning and it was great example of some of her very good early acting with a half decent script.

[–] marc-bijlsma 9 years ago

Of the four Warner movies that are not on dvd, I guess only 'Cabin in the cotton' and 'So Big' are more or less decent movies. If only So Big wouldn't have been the name of the boy, that movie might have been better too. It's just too silly, and spoils some of the pleasure of watching the movie.

'The dark horse' is, in my opinion, the worst of Bette's early movies.

A pity Universal doesn't seem to be interested in releasing the three first movies of Bette in a box set. Past releases and the many releases in the Warner Archive Collection have proven that Bette still sells. I also would love to be able to watch 'Seed'.

'The menace' seems to be out there somewhere on a Spanish or Italian dvd, but so far I have not been able to find it.

[–] aussiebears 9 years ago

Makes you wonder whether Universal still have the rights to the films or whether the first two may have slipped into public domain. Waterloo Bridge the 3rd film is on the 1st Forbidden Hollywood box set which was released by Turner Classic Movies through Warner Brothers so it looks like Warners has the rights to Waterloo Bridge.

Considering Seed pops up so rarely it makes you wonder if Universal does have it in its vault, the rarity of this movie alone would make it a big seller and also The Bad Sister because it was Bette's film debut, there is a demand for it out there. The Bad Sister was released in France through Bach films so I don't know whether Universal still has the rights.

I am always interested in Bette's early work whether it is good or bad, I have bought a few of the Warner archives releases but not all of them, recently watched Parachute Jumper, Bureau Of Missing Persons, Fog Over Frisco, The Big Shakedown and The Rich Are Always with Us, the one I enjoyed the most was The Big Shakedown, it was silly but a lot of fun, enjoyed Bette in The Rich Are Always With Us too, the one that disappointed the most was Fog Over Frisco, had heard good reviews but I just didn't like it that much. Still have a few I haven't watched yet like Border Town and Front Page Woman[ although I have seen Front Page Woman on tv back in the 80's], have Fashions of 1934 on order also.

As mentioned earlier Seed was thought lost but it had turned up in some sort of film festival back in the 70's but then UCLA had a print which they showed a few years back so it is around so it seems the hardest one to obtain would be the Menace, who knows whether an original print still exists and I'm not sure who even has the rights to Columbia pics these days ? [ may be Warners ?]